Performance evaluation of mixed convection in an inclined square channel with uniform temperature walls

Numerical analyses were performed for the effect of inclined angle on the mixing flow in a square channel with uniform temperature walls (T_w = 30 °C) and inlet temperature (T₀ = 10 °C). Three-dimensional governing equations were solved numerically for Re = 100, Pr = 0.72 and various inclined angles (from ?90° to 90°). Three-dimensional behavior of fluid in a channel was examined for each angle. Thermal performance was evaluated using the relationship between Nusselt number ratio and pressure loss ratio with and without buoyancy induced flow as a parameter of inclined angles. High heat transfer and low pressure loss region was from ?15° to ?60° in thermal performance using mean Nusselt number ratio.     

Pressure drop predictions for laminar flows of extended modified power law fluids in rectangular ducts

This paper reports on a numerical study of the friction factor-modified Reynolds number product, f × Re_M, for fully developed, laminar flows of pseudoplastic and dilatant fluids in rectangular ducts. Constitutive equations for the apparent viscosity that span from the low shear rate Newtonian region through the high shear rate Newtonian region were utilized, and a shear rate parameter was defined that determines the flow regime where the duct is operating. Numerical results for f × Re_M in all flow regimes are included along with correlation equations. Errors associated with applying power law solutions to flows of weakly non-Newtonian fluids are discussed.     

Laminar flow and heat transfer in a periodic serpentine channel with semi-circular cross-section

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been used to study fully developed laminar flow and heat transfer behaviour in periodic serpentine channels with a semi-circular cross-section. The serpentine elements are characterised by their wavelength (2L), channel diameter (d) and radius of curvature of bends (R_c), with results reported for Reynolds numbers (Re) up to 450, as well as for a range of geometric configurations (3 < L/d < 12.5, 0.525 < R_c/d < 2.25) at Re = 110. The flow in these channels is characterised by the formation of Dean vortices following each bend. As the Reynolds number is increased, more complex vortical flow patterns emerge and the flow domain becomes increasingly dominated by these vortices. Alignment of flow with vorticity leads to efficient fluid mixing and high rates of heat transfer.Constant wall heat flux (H2) and constant wall temperature (T) boundary conditions and a range of fluid Prandtl numbers (0.7 < Pr < 100) have been examined. High rates of heat transfer and low pressure loss are found relative to fully-developed flow in a straight pipe, with heat transfer enhancements greater than 10 for a Prandtl number of 100.As part of this work, we also obtain an accurate value for the Nusselt number for fully-developed flows in straight semi-circular passages with constant wall temperature, Nu_T = 3.323(±0.001).     

Generalized correlations for predicting heat transfer and pressure drop in plate heat exchanger channels of arbitrary geometry

Characteristics of the flow in chevron plate heat exchangers are investigated through visualization tests of channels with β = 28° and β = 61°. Mathematical model is then developed with the aim of deriving correlations for prediction of f and Nu for flow in channels of arbitrary geometry (β and b/l). Thermal and hydraulic characteristics are evaluated using analytical solutions for the entrance and fully developed regions of a sinusoidal duct adapted to the basic single cell. The derived correlations are finally adjusted so as to agree with experimental results from tests on channels with β = 28° and β = 65°. f and Nu calculated by the presented correlations are shown to be consistent with experimental data from the literature at Re = 2–10,000, β = (15–67)° and b/l = 0.26–0.4.     

Entropy generation in impinging flow confined by planar opposing jets

In this paper, entropy generation in impinging flow confined by planar opposing jets is investigated systematically for the first time. Different from previous works on entropy generation for practical flows, in this study the lattice Boltzmann method, which is more suitable for massive parallel computing, is used to solve the governing equations for flow field as well as the entropy generation equation, instead of traditional numerical methods. The effects of the Reynolds number 10 ≤ Re ≤ 500 and the distance ratio between opposing jets 2/5 ≤ W/L ≤ 4/5 on entropy generation are revealed. It is found that the local entropy generation number is more sensitive to the variation of W/L than Re when Re > 50. The total entropy generation number increases exponentially with Re but decreases as a power function of W/L. In addition, the entropy generation will receive significant influence from the damping traveling pressure wave during the transient state and the maximum emerges when the gas ejected from the top and bottom jets begins meeting and impinging.     

Three-dimensional numerical study on fin-and-oval-tube heat exchanger with longitudinal vortex generators

Three-dimensional numerical study was performed for heat transfer characteristics and fluid flow structure of fin-and-oval-tube heat exchangers with longitudinal vortex generators (LVGs). For Re (based on the hydraulic diameter) ranges from 500 to 2500, it was found that the average Nu for the three-row fin-and-oval-tube heat exchanger with longitudinal vortex generators increased by 13.6–32.9% over the baseline case and the corresponding pressure loss increased by 29.2–40.6%. The results were analyzed on the basis of the field synergy principle to provide fundamental understanding of the relation between local flow structure and heat transfer augmentation. It was confirmed that the reduction of the intersection angle θ between the velocity field and the temperature field was one of the essential factors influencing heat transfer enhancement. Three geometrical parameters – placement of LVGs (upstream and downstream), angles of attack (α = 15°, 30°, 45° and 60°) and tube-row number (n = 2, 3, 4 and 5) – were also investigated for parameter optimization. The LVGs with placement of downstream, angles of attack α = 30° and minimum tube-row number provide the best heat transfer performance. The effects of the three geometrical parameters on heat transfer enhancement were also analyzed from the view point of the field synergy principle and it was found that the results can be well explained by the field synergy principle.     

Experimental study of forced convection heat transfer from a cam shaped tube in cross flows

An experimental investigation has been conducted to clarify forced convection heat transfer characteristic and flow behavior of an isothermal cam shaped tube in cross flow. The range of angle of attack and Reynolds number based on an equivalent circular tube are within 0° < α < 180° and 1.5 × 10⁴ < Re_eq < 2.7 × 10⁴, respectively.The results show that the mean heat transfer coefficient is a maximum at about α = 90° over the whole range of the Reynolds numbers. It is found that thermal hydraulic performance of the cam shaped tube is larger than that of a circular tube with the same surface area except for α = 90° and 120°. Furthermore, the effect of the diameter of the cam shaped tube upon the thermal hydraulic performance is discussed.     

Heat transfer of rectangular narrow channel with two opposite scale-roughened walls

An experimental study of heat transfer and pressure drop in a rectangular channel roughened by scaled surfaces on two opposite walls with flows directed in the forward and downward directions for Reynolds numbers (Re) in the range of 1500 ⩽ Re ⩽ 15,000 was performed. Nusselt number ratios between the scale-roughened and smooth-walled ducted flows (Nu/Nu_∞) were in the range of 7.4–9.2 and 6.2–7.4 for laminar forward and downward flows respectively. The Nu/Nu_∞ values for turbulent developed flows in the scale-roughened channel with forward and downward flows were about 4.5 and 3 respectively. A comparison of present data with reported results using different types of surface roughness demonstrated the better thermal performances of present scale-roughened channel with forward flow at conditions of Re > 10,000. Experimental correlations of heat transfer and friction coefficient were derived for the present scale-roughened rectangular channel.     

Numerical study of swirling flows in a cylindrical container with co-/counter-rotating end disks under stable temperature difference

A numerical study was conducted to investigate swirling flows of a Boussinesq fluid confined in a cylindrical container with co-/counter-rotating end disks. A vertically stable temperature gradient is imposed, with the stationary sidewall assumed as adiabatic. Flows are studied for a range of parameters: the Reynolds number, Re, 100 ⩽ Re ⩽ 2000; the Richardson number, Ri, 0 ⩽ Ri ⩽ 1.0; and the Prandtl number, Pr, Pr = 1.0. The ratio of the angular velocity of the top disk to the bottom disk, s, −1.0 ⩽ s ⩽ 1.0. The cylinder aspect ratio: h = 2.0. For the case of negligibly small temperature difference (Ri ∼ 0) and high Re, interior fluid rotates with an intermediate angular velocity of both end disks when they are co-rotating (s > 0). When end disks are counter-rotating (s < 0), shearing flow with meridional recirculation is created. For the case of large temperature difference (Pr · Ri ∼ O(1)), the Ekman suction is suppressed and the sidewall boundary layer disappears at mid-height of the cylinder. For all the values of s considered in the present study, the bulk of the fluid is brought close to rest with the fluid in the vicinity of both end disks rotating in each direction. The secondary flow in the meridional section of the cylindrical container exhibits various types of vortices as the governing parameters are varied. These flow patterns are presented in the form of diagrams on the (s, Re) plane and (s, Ri) plane. The average Nusselt number is computed and presented as functions of Ri, Re and s.     

Effect of power-law fluid behavior on momentum and heat transfer characteristics of an inclined square cylinder in steady flow regime

The governing equations describing the momentum and heat transfer phenomena of power-law non-Newtonian fluids over a heated square cylinder at 45° of incidence in the two-dimensional (2-D) steady flow regime are solved numerically. Extensive results on the detailed structure of the flow and temperature fields as well as on the gross engineering parameters are presented over the following ranges of conditions: 0.2 ? n ? 1; 0.1 ? Re ? 40 and 0.7 ? Pr ? 100. At low Reynolds numbers, the flow remains attached to the surface of the cylinder. This seems to occur for all values of power-law index, at least up to about Re = 1. On the other hand, twin standing vortices were seen to form at Re = 10 for all values of power-law index considered herein. The influence of the Reynolds number and power-law index is delineated on the detailed structure of the flow field (streamlines), wake characteristics and surface pressure distribution as well as on the value of drag coefficients. Similarly, the effect of Prandtl number is studied on forced convective heat transfer for the two commonly encountered boundary conditions, namely, constant temperature or constant heat flux prescribed on the surface of the cylinder. Using the computed numerical results, simple heat transfer correlations are obtained in terms of the Nusselt number as a function of the pertinent governing parameters thereby enabling the prediction of the rate of heat transfer between the fluid and the immersed cylinder. In addition, variation of the local Nusselt number on the surface of the inclined of square cylinder and representative isotherm plots are also presented to elucidate the effect of Reynolds number, Prandtl number and power-law index on the heat transfer phenomenon.     

Effects of duct inclination angle on thermal entrance region of laminar and transition mixed convection

Experimental investigation was performed on the mixed convection heat transfer of thermal entrance region in an inclined rectangular duct for laminar and transition flow. Air flowed upwardly and downwardly with inclination angles from ?90° to 90°. The duct was made of duralumin plate and heated with uniform heat flux axially. The experiment was designed for determining the effects of inclination angles on the heat transfer coefficients and friction factors at seven orientations (θ = ? 90°, ?60°, ?30°, 0°, 30°, 60° and 90°), six Reynolds numbers (Re ≈ 420, 840, 1290, 1720, 2190 and 2630) within the range of Grashof numbers from 6.8 × 10³ to 4.1 × 10⁴. The optimum inclination angles that yielded the maximum heat transfer coefficients decreased from 30° to ?30° with the increase of Reynolds numbers from 420 to 1720. The heat transfer coefficients first increased with inclination angles up to a maximum value and then decreased. With further increase in Reynolds numbers, the heat transfer coefficients were nearly independent of inclination angles. The friction factors decreased with the increase of inclination angles from ?90° to 90° when Reynolds numbers ranged from 420 to 1290, and independent of inclination angles with higher Reynolds numbers.     

Effect of compressibility on gaseous flows in a micro-tube

A product of friction factor and Reynolds number (f · Re) of gaseous flow in a quasi-fully developed region of a micro-tube was obtained numerically and experimentally. Two-dimensional compressible momentum and energy equations were solved for a wide range of Reynolds number and Mach number for both ‘no heat conduction’ and isothermal flow conditions. It was found from numerical results that the product of friction factor and Reynolds number (f · Re) in a quasi-fully developed region is expressed as a function of Mach number. The tube cutting method was adopted to obtain the pressure variation along the tube. Fused silica tubes of nominal diameter of 150 μm, were used for experiments. The experimental results also indicate that (f · Re) is a function of Mach number.     

Infrared micro-particle image velocimetry measurements and predictions of flow distribution in a microchannel heat sink

The flow distribution in a silicon microchannel heat sink was studied using infrared micro-particle image velocimetry (IR μPIV). The microchannel test piece consisted of seventy-six 110 μm wide × 371 μm deep channels etched into a silicon substrate. Inlet and outlet manifolds, also etched into the substrate, were fed by 1.4 mm inner-diameter tubing ports. An image-processing algorithm was developed that significantly improves the quality of IR μPIV recordings in low signal-to-noise ratio environments. A general expression for the PIV measurement depth is presented, which is valid for PIV images that have undergone a threshold image-processing operation. Experiments were performed at two different flow rates: 10 ml/min (Re = 10.2) and 100 ml/min (Re = 102). Little flow maldistribution was observed at the lower flow rate. However, significant flow maldistribution was observed at Re = 102, with the channels near the centerline having an approximately 30% greater mass flux than the channels near the lateral edges of the heat sink. Numerical simulations carried out for flow in the microchannel heat sink agreed very well with the experimental measurements, validating the use of a computational approach for studying the effect of manifold design on flow distribution in microchannel heat sinks.     

Unsteady-state mass transfer from a binary gas bubble with changing volume

Numerical methods are used to investigate the transient mass transfer from a binary gas bubble to an incompressible liquid. The bubble has two components: A – soluble and B – insoluble in the surrounding fluid. The concentration of A inside the bubble is considered spatially uniform but not constant in time. The maximum value of the initial volumetric fraction of A is 0.3. The mathematical model equations were solved numerically in spherical coordinates system. Creeping flow, moderate Re number flow, 10 ? Re ? 100, and potential flow around the bubble were assumed. The computations focused on the influence of the initial fraction of A and Henry number on the mass transfer rate for Pe ? 10⁴.     

Role of moving horizontal walls on entropy generation during mixed convection within entrapped triangular cavities

A comprehensive analysis based on the irreversibilities associated with the energy flow and entropy generation is highly essential for the optimization of thermal systems. Entropy generation during mixed convection process has been studied in entrapped triangular cavities for moving horizontal walls involving isothermally hot inclined walls and cold horizontal walls (case 1) or isothermally cold inclined walls and hot horizontal walls (case 2). Overall it is found that, Re = 100 may be preferred over Re → 0, Re = 1 and Re = 10 at Pr = 0.026 and 7.2, Gr = 10³ − 10⁵ within the cavities, irrespective of the cases. In addition to Re = 100, Re = 10 may be optimal for the upper cavity with case 1 and lower cavity with case 2 at Gr ≈ 10⁵ (higher Gr regime) and Pr = 7.2 based on moderate heat transfer rates.     

Finite element based heatline approach to study mixed convection in a porous square cavity with various wall thermal boundary conditions

A penalty finite element method based simulation is performed to analyze the influence of various walls thermal boundary conditions on mixed convection lid driven flows in a square cavity filled with porous medium. The relevant parameters in the present study are Darcy number (Da = 10^?5 ? 10^?3), Grashof number (Gr = 10³ ? 10⁵), Prandtl number (Pr = 0.7–7.2), and Reynolds number (Re = 1–10²). Heatline approach of visualizing heat flow is implemented to gain a complete understanding of complex heat flow patterns. Patterns of heatlines and streamlines are qualitatively similar near the core for convection dominant flow for Da = 10^?3. Symmetric distribution in heatlines, similar to streamlines is observed irrespective of Da at higher Gr in natural convection dominant regime corresponding to smaller values of Re. A single circulation cell in heatlines, similar to streamlines is observed at Da = 10^?3 for forced convection dominance and heatlines are found to emanate from a large portion on the bottom wall illustrating enhanced heat flow for Re = 100. Multiple circulation cells in heatlines are observed at higher Da and Gr for Pr = 0.7 and 7.2. The heat transfer rates along the walls are illustrated by the local Nusselt number distribution based on gradients of heatfunctions. Wavy distribution in heat transfer rates is observed with Da ? 10^?4 for non-uniformly heated walls primarily in natural convection dominant regime. In general, exponential variation of average Nusselt numbers with Grashof number is found except the cases where the side walls are linearly heated. Overall, heatlines are found to be a powerful tool to analyze heat transport within the cavity and also a suitable guideline on explaining the Nusselt number variations.     

Measurement of local heat/mass transfer coefficients on a dimple using naphthalene sublimation

Local and average heat/mass transfer characteristics on a single dimple were investigated using a naphthalene sublimation technique. The dimple depth in this study ranged from 20% to 40% of the channel height. The experimental conditions covered the range from laminar to low-velocity turbulent flow regimes, 500 ? Re_H ? 5000. Secondary flows from the dimple were clearly observed in the transient flow regime of Re_H = 2000–3000. The velocity fluctuation in the mixing layer over the dimple increased with the dimple depth and the Reynolds number. The impingement of the mixing layer and the induced secondary flows augmented the Sherwood number around the rear rim of the dimple and in the rear plateau region, respectively. For a Reynolds number of 3000, the Sherwood number increased significantly due to the increased fluctuation in the mixing layer and the intensified secondary flows from the dimple. The heat/mass transfer augmentation factors increased as the Reynolds number increased, reaching 1.5 at a Reynolds number of 5000.     

Flow over and forced convection heat transfer in Newtonian fluids from a semi-circular cylinder

Momentum and heat transfer characteristics of a semi-circular cylinder immersed in unconfined flowing Newtonian fluids have been investigated numerically. The governing equations, namely, continuity, Navier–Stokes and energy, have been solved in the steady flow regime over wide ranges of the Reynolds number (0.01 ? Re ? 39.5) and Prandtl number (Pr ? 100). Prior to the investigation of drag and heat transfer phenomena, the critical values of the Reynolds number for wake formation (0.55 < Re^c < 0.6) and for the onset of vortex shedding (39.5 < Re_c < 40) have been identified. The corresponding values of the lift coefficient, drag coefficient, and Strouhal number are also presented. After establishing the limit of the steady flow regime, the influence of the Reynolds number (0.01 ? Re ? 39.5) and Prandtl number (Pr = 0.72, 1, 10, 50 and 100) on the global flow and heat transfer characteristics have been elucidated. Detailed kinematics of the flow is investigated in terms of the streamline and vorticity profiles and the variation of pressure coefficient in the vicinity of the cylinder. The functional dependence of the individual and total drag coefficients on the Reynolds number is explored. The Nusselt number shows an additional dependence on the Prandtl number. In addition, the isotherm profiles, local Nusselt number (Nu_L) and average Nusselt number (Nu) are also presented to analyze the heat transfer characteristic of a semi-circular cylinder in Newtonian media.     

Experiments on impingement heat transfer with film extraction flow on the leading edge of rotating blades

A transient liquid crystal experiment was performed to study the heat transfer characteristic of impingement cooling with outflow film on the leading edge of turbine blades under rotating conditions. In the experiments, the angles between the jet direction and rotating shaft were 0°, 30°, and 45°, respectively. The impinging jet Reynolds number, based on the diameter of the impingement hole, ranged from 2000 to 12,000. The rotation number Ro (Ωd/u) ranged from 0 to 0.278. The relative impingement distance was fixed at 2. The results showed that, due to the effect of rotation, the spreading rate of the jet flow was enhanced and the heat transfer was weakened for all Reynolds numbers. For the condition of Re = 4000 and Ro = 0.139 with corresponding angles θ = 0°, 30°, 45°, the Nusselt number of the stagnation point decreased by 33%, 30%, and 35%, respectively, compared to the stationary results. Furthermore, for the corresponding angles θ = 30° and 45°, the location of the stagnation point is offset 0.6d (jet impingement hole diameter) and 0.9d down, respectively, when Ro = 0.139. The average Nusselt numbers on the suction surface and the pressure surface both decreased with increased rotating speed. Moreover, the reduction of the average Nusselt number on the pressure surface was larger than that on the suction surface. At Ro = 0.139, the average Nusselt number on the suction surface decreased less than 10% for all three angles, while on the pressure surface, the decrease was almost 20% compared to the result for Ro = 0.     

History recovery and source identification of multiple gaseous contaminants releasing with thermal effects in an indoor environment

Thermal transport and transient dispersion of pollutants emitted from two discrete strips within the displacement ventilation enclosure have been modeled numerically. Following the full numerical simulation of turbulent air flows, the inverse determinations of multiple pollutant sources were conducted by the use of quasi reversibility methodology. Direct simulation together with the turbulent streamlines and turbulent heatlines demonstrate that the enclosure flow pattern, enclosure air thermal level and heat transfer potential will depend on the interactions of external forced flow and thermal buoyancy driven flows, i.e., Reynolds number (2 × 10³ ? Re ? 10⁴) and Grashof number (10⁶ ? Gr ? 10¹⁰). In subsequent forward time and backward time modeling of airborne pollutant transports, temporal evolutions of enclosure average concentration and pollutant exhaust are shown to depend on the supplying velocity (Re), thermal plume (Gr), pollutant diffusivity (0.1 ? Sc ? 2), and the pitch between both sources (0.2H ? d_PSL = d_PSR ? 0.7H). Reverse time modeling of airborne spread has demonstrated that increasing the spread rate and the concentration sensitivity of airborne pollutants will facilitate the identification of pollutant sources.