Numerical investigation of fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics in a helically-finned tube

In order to investigate the characteristics of flow and heat transfer rate in a Helically-finned tub (HFT), we used continuity, momentum and energy equations under a steady, three-dimensional and incompressible fluid flow assumptions. For the performance metrics, we considered the Darcy friction factor, Colburn j-factor, volume goodness factor and area goodness factor of the HFT. We could also evaluate the effect of geometry parameters on the results of local pressure coefficient, fluid vorticity and Nusselt number of the HFT. We carried out the CFD calculation for a range of laminar flow (Re = 100) and turbulent flow (Re = 2000 and 10000). In a laminar and turbulent flow regime, the friction factor increases with increasing the each geometric parameter. While the Colburn j-factor decreases as increasing these geometric parameters. Consequently, the thermal performance of HFT is poorer than that of single straight circular tube type because of having a small volume and area goodness factor as increasing the Reynolds numbers.     

An experimental study on the transition criteria of open channel natural convection flows

Natural convection experiments were carried out for a wide range of the Grashof number from 10⁴ to 5 × 10⁹ or for the Rayleigh number from 10⁷ to 10¹³ in order to seek the proper transition criteria from laminar to turbulent. Using the analogy concept, heat transfer systems were simulated by corresponding mass transfer systems. The copper sulfate electroplating system was chosen as the mass transfer system. The experimental results closely reproduced the McAdams’s correlation for laminar and Fouad’s for turbulent. The Sherwood numbers obtained from the experiment were proportional to the 1/4 power of Rayleigh number or Grashof number at laminar region and the near 1/3 power at turbulent region as the well known theory. This paper concludes that the proper transition criteria of the natural convection should be the Grashof number of 10⁹. The originality of this paper comes from the fact that the study deals with very large value of Schmidt number and that by using the analogy experiment methodology, high values of Rayleigh number and Grashof number were achieved with a relatively short test facility.

     

Numerical investigation of an axi-symmetric laminar jet impinging on a dimpled surface under uniform heat flux using a finite element method

The purpose of this study is to numerically investigate heat transfer and flow field in a semi-confined axi-symmetric laminar air jet impinging on a concave surface, or dimple, with uniform heat flux. A commercial software package relying on the finite element method was used for the simulation, and mesh convergence was examined in order to minimize computational cost. Jet impingement on a flat plate was used as a baseline reference case, and flat plate results were validated against previously published experimental data with good agreement. The effects of various parameters involved in dimple impingement -such as Reynolds number (Re) between 100–1,400; jet-to-plate spacing (H/D_j) ranging from 2 to 6 jet diameters; dimple depths (d/D_d) of 0.1, 0.15, and 0.2; and the ratio of jet diameter and dimple projected diameter (D_j/D_d) from 0.25 to 1—were all studied. Comparisons show that heat transfer reduction occurs in the presence of dimples because of the larger impingement area, which results in less momentum flux. The dimple curvature lifts the post-impinging fluid and creates a backflow, instead of allowing it to maintain contact with the surface, as is the case with flat plate impingement.     

Laminar forced convective heat transfer to near-critical water in a tube

Numerical modeling is carried out to investigate forced convective heat transfer to nearcritical water in developing laminar flow through a circular tube. Due to large variations of thermo-physical properties such as density, specific heat, viscosity, and thermal conductivity near thermodynamic critical point, heat transfer characteristics show quite different behavior compared with pure forced convection. With flow acceleration along the tube unusual behavior of heat transfer coefficient and friction factor occurs when the fluid enthalpy passes through pseudocritical point of pressure in the tube. There is also a transition behavior from liquid-like phase to gas-like phase in the developing region. Numerical results with constant heat flux boundary conditions are obtained for reduced pressures from 1.09 to 1.99. Graphical results for velocity, temperature, and heat transfer coefficient with Stanton number are presented and analyzed.     

Influence of chemical reaction and viscous dissipation on MHD mixed convection flow

This paper investigates the effect of chemical reaction and viscous dissipation on MHD mixed convective heat and mass transfer flow of a viscous, incompressible, electrically conducting second grade fluid past a semi-infinite stretching sheet in the presence of thermal diffusion and thermal radiation with Rosseland approximation. The governing boundary layer equations are written into a dimensionless form by similarity transformations. Numerical results for the dimensionless velocity, temperature, concentration profiles as well as for the skin friction coefficient, Nusselt number and Sherwood number are obtained and displayed through graphs and tables for pertinent parameters to show interesting aspects of the solution.     

Heat/mass transfer measurement on concave surface in rotating jet impingement

The objective of this paper is to investigate the heat/mass transfer characteristics on a concave surface for rotating impinging jets. The jet with Reynolds number of 5,000 is applied to the concave surface and the flat surface, respectively. The rotating experiments have been carried out at the rotating speed of 560RPM which is corresponding to Ro number of 0.075. The two jet orientation (front and trailing orientation) are considered. Detailed heat/mass transfer coefficients on the target plate were measured using a naphthalene sublimation method. The result indicates that the rotation leads to change in local heat/mass transfer distributions and the slight increase in the Sh level. The front orientation induces asymmetric Sh distributions, whereas the trailing orientation shows the shifted heat/mass transfer feature due to rotation-induced flow behavior. The crossflow effect on heat/mass transfer is also observed as the streamwise direction increases. Compared to flat surface, the heat/mass transfer on the concave surface is enhanced with increasing the spanwise direction due to the curvature effect, providing the higher averaged Sh value. It is proved that the difference of surface geometry affects somewhat the local and averaged heat/mass transfer regardless of rotation condition. This paper was presented at the 9^th Asian International Conference on Fluid Machinery (AICFM9), Jeju, Korea, October 16–19, 2007.     

Effects of Schmidt number on near-wall turbulent mass transfer in pipe flow

Large Eddy simulation (LES) of turbulent mass transfer in circular-pipe flow has been performed to investigate the characteristics of turbulent mass transfer in the near-wall region. We consider a fully-developed turbulent pipe flow with a constant wall concentration. The Reynolds number under consideration is Re _τ = 500 based on the friction velocity and the pipe radius, and the selected Schmidt numbers (Sc) are 0.71, 5, 10, 20 and 100. Dynamic subgrid-scale (SGS) models for the turbulent SGS stresses and turbulent mass fluxes were employed to close the governing equations. The current paper reports a comprehensive characterization of turbulent mass transfer in circular-pipe flow, focusing on its near-wall characteristics and Sc dependency. We start with mean fields by presenting mean velocity and concentration profiles, mean Sherwood numbers and mean mass transfer coefficients for the selected values of the parameters. After that, we present the characteristics of fluctuations including root-mean-square (rms) profiles of velocity, concentration, and mass transfer coefficient fluctuations. Turbulent mass fluxes and correlations between velocity and concentration fluctuations are also discussed. The near-wall behaviour of turbulent diffusivity and turbulent Schmidt number is shown, and other authors’ correlations on their limiting behaviour towards the pipe wall are evaluated based on our LES results. The intermittent characteristics of turbulent mass transfer in pipe flow are depicted by probability density functions (pdf) of velocity and concentration fluctuations; joint pdfs between them are also presented. Instantaneous snapshots of velocity and concentration fluctuations are shown to supplement our discussion on the turbulence statistics. Finally, we report the results of octant analysis and budget calculation of concentration variance to clarify Sc-dependency of the correlation between near-wall turbulence structures and concentration fluctuation in the vicinity of the pipe wall.

     

Influence of yield stress on free convective boundary-layer flow of a non-Newtonian nanofluid past a vertical plate in a porous medium

The effect of yield stress on the free convective heat transfer of dilute liquid suspensions of nanofluids flowing on a vertical plate saturated in porous medium under laminar conditions is investigated considering the nanofluid obeys the mathematical model of power-law. The model used for non-Newtonian nanofluid incorporates the effects of Brownian motion and thermophoresis. The governing boundary-layer equations are cast into dimensionless system which is solved numerically using a deferred correction technique and Newton iteration. This solution depends on yield stress parameter Ω, a power-law index n, Lewis number Le, a buoyancy-ratio number Nr, a Brownian motion number Nb, and a thermophoresis number Nt. Analyses of the results found that the reduced Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are decreasing functions of the higher yield stress parameter for each dimensionless numbers, n and Le, except the reduced Sherwood number is an increasing function of higher Nb for different values of yield stress parameter.     

Behaviors of anisotropic fluids in the vicinity of a wedge

The laminar boundary layer flow and heat transfer of anisotropic fluids in the vicinity of a wedge have been examined with constant surface temperature. The similarity variables found by Falkner and Skan are employed to reduce the streamwise-dependence in the coupled nonlinear boundary layer equations. The numerical solutions are presented using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta method and the distribution of velocity, micro-rotation, shear and couple stresses and temperature across the boundary layer are plotted. These results are also compared with the corresponding flow problems for Newtonian fluid over wedges. It is found that for a constant wedge angle, the skin friction coefficient is lower for micropolar fluid, as compared to Newtonian fluid. For the case of the constant material parameterK, however, the magnitude of velocity for anisotropic fluid is greater than that of Newtonian fluid. The numerical results also show that for a constant wedge angle with a given Prandtl number,P _γ=1, the effect of increasing values ofK results in increasing thermal boundary layer thickness for anisotropic fluid, as compared with Newtonian fluid. For the case of the constant material parameterK, however, the heat transfer rate for anisotropic fluid is lower than that of Newtonian fluid.     

The forced convection flow over a flat plate with finite length with a constant convective boundary condition

The flow of a fluid past a flat plate of finite length and infinite width (two-dimensional flow) is considered. The plate is heated by convection from a fluid with constant temperature T _f with a constant heat transfer coefficient h _f . In all previous works, the problem was considered using boundary layer theory whereas, in the present work, the solution is based on the full Navier-Stokes equations. The problem is investigated numerically with a finite volume method using the commercial code ANSYS FLUENT. The governing parameters are the Reynolds number, the new heat transfer parameter, and the Prandtl number. In addition, the influence of these three parameters on the temperature field is investigated. It is found that high Reynolds and high Prandtl numbers the wall temperature increases along the plate. They reach a maximum near the trailing edge then decrease. The same occurs as the heat transfer parameter increases. When the Reynolds and Prandtl numbers are low, the plate temperature tends to become symmetric, with a maximum at the middle of the plate. The temperature profiles become thicker as the Reynolds number and the Prandtl number is reduced while the temperature profiles become thicker as the heat transfer parameter increases.     

Ionic mass transport correlation of double-diffusive convection in horizontal fluid layers

Here is investigated the characteristics of double-diffusive convection in thermally-stable stratified horizontal fluid layer. By employing an electrochemical technique, and adopting aqueous CuSO₄-H₂SO₄ solution as electrolyte, experiments on ionic mass transfer have been conducted systematically. And, also a new mass transfer correlation in double-diffusive situations has been derived by extending the model of micro-scales of turbulence, which was proposed by Arpaci. The resulting correlation of the Sherwood number as a function of the thermal Rayleigh number and the solutal Rayleigh number was in good agreement with the present experimental results. The present study provides plausible understanding in controlling both mass and heat transfer rates for practical situations including double-diffusive convection.     

On the shear stress and thermal footprints of turbulent spots at zero pressure gradient

Turbulent spots were artificially created in a flat plate boundary layer and visualized by shear-stress sensitive and temperature-sensitive liquid crystals. These procedures employ surface shear stress and temperature as passive tracers to provide insights into the structure of a turbulent spot at the near-wall region. The liquid crystals successfully displayed the “true” footprints of the spots. Quantitative data, such as the heat transfer rate, were likewise provided. The results of the present study prove the existence of a spanwise overhang on a turbulent spot, which could produce important implications on transitional modeling in gas turbine industry.     

Turbulent flow and heat transfer characteristics of a two-dimensional oblique plate impinging jet

Turbulent flow and heat transfer characteristics of a two-dimensional oblique plate impinging jet (OPIJ) were experimentally investigated. The local heat transfer coefficients were measured using thermochromic liquid crystals. The jet mean velocity and turbulent intensity profiles were also measured along the plate. The jet Reynolds number (Re, based on the nozzle width) ranged from 10, 000 to 35,000, the nozzle-to-plate distance (H/B) from 2 to 16, and the oblique angle (α) from 60 to 90 degree. It has been found that the stagnation point shifted toward the minor flow region as the oblique angle decreased and the position of the stagnation point nearly coincided with that of the maximum turbulent intensity. It has also been observed that the local Nusselt numbers in the minor flow region were larger than those in the major flow region for the same distance along the plate mainly due to the higher levels in turbulent intensity caused by more active mixing of the jet flow.     

Effect of variable viscosity on thermal boundary layer over a permeable flat plate with radiation and a convective surface boundary condition

In this paper, the combined effects of radiation, temperature dependent viscosity, suction and injection on thermal boundary layer over a permeable flat plate with a convective heat exchange at the surface are investigated. By taking suitable similarity variables, the governing boundary layer equations are transformed into a boundary value problem of coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations and solved numerically using the shooting technique with sixth-order Runge-Kutta integration scheme. The solutions for the velocity and temperature distributions together with the skin friction coefficient and Nusselt number depend on six parameters; Prandtl number Pr, Brinkmann number Br, the radiation parameter Ra, the viscosity variation parameter a, suction/injection parameter f _w and convection Biot number Bi. Numerical results are presented both in tabular and graphical forms illustrating the effects of these parameters on thermal boundary layer. The thermal boundary layer thickens with a rise in the local temperature as the viscous dissipation, wall injection, and convective heating each intensifies, but decreases with increasing suction and thermal radiation. For fixed Pr, Ra, Br and Bi, both the skin friction coefficient and the Nusselt number increase with a decrease in fluid viscosity and an increase in suction. A comparison with previously published results on special case of the problem shows excellent agreement.     

A model for the condensation heat transfer of binary refrigerant mixtures

In the present work turbulent film condensation of nonazeotropic binary mixtures inside a horizontal tube is studied theoretically. The combined heat and mass transfer involved is analyzed through an integral formulation of the continuity, momentum, energy and diffusion equations. As the mass velocity of refrigerant mixtures increases, the condensation heat transfer coefficient increases. The heat transfer coefficient becomes smaller at higher mass quality. As the mole fraction of the more volatile component in binary mixtures increases, the back-diffusion mass flux of the more volatile component reduces in the vapor. As a result the condensation heat transfer coefficient improves with the increase of the inlet mole fraction of the more volatile component especially in the upstream of condenser. The results of the present study show good agreement with the experimental data available.     

Evaporation heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of r-134a in the oblong shell and plate heat exchanger

The evaporation heat transfer coefficienthr and frictional pressure drop δp_f of refrigerant R-134a flowing in the oblong shell and plate heat exchanger were investigated experimentally in this study. Four vertical counterflow channels were formed in the oblong shell and plate heat exchanger by four plates of geometry with a corrugated sinusoid shape of a 45° chevron angle. Upflow of refrigerant R-134a boils in two channels receiving heat from downflow of hot water in other channels. The effects of the refrigerant mass flux, average heat flux, refrigerant saturation temperature and vapor quality of R- 134a were explored in detail. Similar to the case of a plate heat exchanger, even at a very low Reynolds number, the flow in the oblong shell and plate heat exchanger remains turbulent. The results indicate that the evaporation heat transfer coefficienthr and pressure drop Δp_f increase with the vapor quality. A rise in the refrigerant mass flux causes an increase in theh _r and Δp_f. But the effect of the average heat flux does not show significant effect on the h_r and Δp_f. Finally, at a higher saturation temperature, both theh _r and Δp_f are found to be lower. The empirical correlations are also provided for the measured heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop in terms of the Nusselt number and friction factor.     

An analytic study on laminar film condensation along the interior surface of a cave-shaped cavity of a flat plate heat pipe

An analytic approach has been employed to study condensate film thickness distribution inside cave-shaped cavity of a flat plate heat pipe. The results indicate that the condensate film thickness largely depends on mass flow rate and local velocity of condensate. The increasing rate of condensate film for circular region reveals about 50% higher value than that of vertical region. The physical properties of working fluid affect significantly the condensate film thickness, such as the condensate film thickness for the case of FC-40 are 5 times larger than that of water. In comparison with condensation on a vertical wall, the average heat transfer coefficient in the cave-shaped cavity presented 10-15% lower values due to the fact that the average film thickness formed inside the cave-shaped cavity was larger than that of the vertical wall with an equivalent flow length. A correlation formula which is based on the condensate film analysis for the cave-shaped cavity to predict average heat transfer coefficient is presented. Also, the critical minimum fill charge ratio of working fluid based on condensate film analysis has been predicted, and the minimum fill charge ratios for FC-40 and water are about Ψ_crit= 3-7%, Ψ_crit=0.5-1.3%, respectively, in the range of heat fluxq” = 5-90kW/²     

湍流边界层内钝体扰流的流动与传热特性

应用大涡模拟方法对小尺度开缝圆柱涡流发生器强化传热和流动减阻的机理进行研究。水平开缝圆柱置于充分发展湍流边界层内,分析不同间隙比对开缝圆柱尾流、湍流边界层拟序结构以及槽道底面流动与换热特性的影响。为验证所采用数值方法的准确性与可靠性,将矩形空槽道的计算结果与前人直接数值模拟结果及与采用相关准则关系式所得结果进行对比。计算结果表明：湍流边界层内钝体扰流的尾迹流与壁面边界层的相互作用能够显著提高槽道的换热性能。与未开缝的基准圆柱相比,间隙比小于2.0时,开缝圆柱通道的整体热性能较好;间隙比为2.0时,其综合性能系数最大;间隙比大于2.0时,整体热性能较差。与矩形空槽道相比,最大努塞尔数可提高17.45%,最小摩擦因数可减小4.94%。     

Analysis of enhancement and impairment mechanisms of natural convection heat transfer on a vertical finned plate

We investigated the heat transfer enhancement and impairment mechanisms of the laminar natural convection on a vertical finned plate. Numerical analyses were performed for wide ranges of Prandtl numbers 0.7–2014, Rayleigh numbers 3.69×10⁵−8.49×10¹⁰ and fin heights 0.0025–0.5 m. Experiments were performed for a few cases for verification. Four different heat transfer mechanisms were identified: corner, core acceleration, chimney and in-flow effects. The competitions of these mechanisms depending on the fin geometries and the Prandtl number resulted in complex variations of the heat transfer. The results showed the heat transfer enhancement of maximum 6.9 % for Pr = 2014, L = 0.1 m and H = 0.015 m and impairment up to 47 % for Pr = 0.7, L = 0.1 m and H = 0.015 m compared with that of a flat plate with the same heat transfer area and baseplate length.

     

Non-absorbable gas effects on heat and mass transfer in falling film absorption

Film absorption involves simultaneous heat and mass transfer in the gas-liquid system. While the non-absorbable gas does not participate directly in the absorption process, its presence does affect the overall heat and mass transfer. An experimental study was performed to investigate the heat and mass transfer characteristics of LiBr-H₂O solution flowing over 6-row horizontal tubes with the water vapor absorption in the presence of non-absorbable gases. The volumetric concentration of non-absorbable gas. air, was varied from 0.17 to 10.0%. The combined effects of the solution flow rate and its concentration on the heat and mass transfer coefficients were also examined. The presence of 2% volumetric concentration of air resulted in a 25% reduction in the Nusselt number and 41% reduction in the Sherwood number. Optimum film Reynolds number was found to exist at which the heat and mass transfer reach their maximum value independent of air contents. Reduced Nusselt and Sherwood numbers, defined as the ratio of Nusselt and Sherwood numbers at given non-absorbable gas content to that with pure water vapor, were correlated to account for the reduction in the heat and mass transfer due to non-absorbable gases in a falling film absorption process.