Numerical and Experimental Modelling of Gas Flow and Heat Transfer in the Air Gap of an Electric Machine. Part Ⅱ： Grooved Surfaces

The study deals with the cooling of a high-speed electric machine through an air gap with numerical and experimental methods. The rotation speed of the test machine is between 5000-40000 r/min and the machine is cooled by a forced gas flow through the air gap. In the previous part of the research the friction coefficient was measured for smooth and grooved stator cases with a smooth rotor. The heat transfer coefficient was recently calculated by a numerical method and measured for a smooth stator-rotor combination. In this report the cases with axial groove slots at the stator and/or rotor surfaces are studied. Numerical flow simulations and measurements have been done for the test machine dimensions at a large velocity range. At constant mass flow rate the heat transfer coefficients by the numerical method attain bigger values with groove slots on the stator or rotor surfaces. The results by the numerical method have been confirmed with measurements. The RdF-sensor was glued to the stator and rotor surfaces to measure the heat flux through the surface, as well as the temperature.     

Modelling of heat transfer and fluid flow for decaying swirl flow in a circular pipe

In the present study, a propeller type swirl generator was developed, and its effects on heat transfer and fluid flow were investigated numerically and experimentally for air flow in a pipe. In the numerical study, for axisymetrically, incompressible turbulent swirl flows, the Navier-Stokes equations were solved using the k-ε turbulent model. So that a computer program in Fortran was constructed using the SIMPLEC Algorithm. In experimental work, axial and tangential velocity distributions behind the swirl generator were measured by using hot-wire anemometry. Experimental and numerical axial and tangential velocity distributions along the pipe were compared, and good agreement was found. Axial velocity profile showed a decrement in the central portion of the pipe and an increased axial velocity was seen in near the wall. Tangential velocity profiles had a maximum value and its location moved in radially with distance. The effects of swirl flow on the heat transfer and pressure drop were also investigated experimentally.     

Numerical Study of Heat Transfer and Analysis of Optimal Fin Pitch in a Wavy Fin-and-Tube Heat Exchanger

In this paper an analysis of laminar heat transfer and fluid flow in a wavy fin-and-tube heat exchanger has been carried out. Three-dimensional (3D) numerical simulation results of a circular tube heat exchanger were compared with published numerical and experimental results. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) procedure was validated by comparing average Nusselt numbers, and good agreement between published and calculated results has been accomplished. The influence of inlet air velocity, varying from 0.5 to 5 m s^?1, as well as fin pitch, varying from 0.4 to 4 mm, on heat transfer and pressure drop conditions has been studied. The results have shown that there is an optimal fin pitch for each air velocity, which gives the best heat exchanger performance from the heat transfer point of view.     

Heat transfer by natural convection from an isothermal downward-facing round plate in unlimited space

A theoretical analysis and experimental study of natural convective heat transfer from an isothermal downward-facing horizontal round plate has been carried out. The results are presented in the form of correlations between the Nusselt and Rayleigh numbers. The correctness of the theoretical model, proposed to describe convective heat transfer from the downward-facing round plate, and the simplifying assumptions introduced, were verified by comparison with contours of static temperature and velocity distributions determined from numerical simulations using the FLUENT/UNS code and estimated by flow visualisations using interferometry, images of particle tracks, and a liquid crystal foil. The experimental measurements were performed in air and water using a plate of diameter D=0.07 m. The theoretical, experimental, and numerical results are all in excellent agreement.     

Experimental and numerical investigation of thermal -hydraulic performance in wavy fin-and-flat tube heat exchangers

To the more deeply understand the enhancement heat transfer mechanism and optimization design for wavy fin-and-flat tube heat exchangers, three-dimensional numerical simulations and experimental investigation of air flow and heat transfer characteristics over the wavy fin heat exchangers are presented in this study. The numerical simulation results compared with the wind tunnel test data, the results show that the numerical simulation results are in good with the test. The experimental results show that, in the range of Re = 1000–5500, the standard k-ε mode (SST) is more suitable to predict the air flow and heat transfer of wavy fin. The waviness amplitude has the distinct effect on the heat transfer and pressure drop of wavy fin, while the wavy fin profile (Triangular, Sinusoidal and Triangular round corner) has little effect on the heat transfer performance. In additional, the enhancement heat transfer mechanism of wavy fin is explained in view of field synergy principle. Reduction the synergy angle between velocity and temperature gradient will induce to the heat transfer coefficients increase of wavy fin.     

Three dimensional numerical and experimental study of forced convection heat transfer on solar collector surface

In this study, experimental and three dimensional numerical work was carried out to determine the average heat transfer coefficients for forced convection air flow over a rectangular flat plate. Three dimensional numerical simulations were obtained using a commercial finite volume based fluid dynamics code called Fluent 6.3. The experiments were performed for mass transfer using the naphthalene sublimation technique. The results were presented in terms of heat transfer parameters using the analogy between heat and mass transfer. All the experimental results are correlated within an accuracy of ± 12%.     

Experimental and theoretical studies on air humidification by a water spray at elevated pressure

Humidification of compressed air is important for humid air turbine cycle. In this paper, theoretical and experimental investigations are carried out to analyze and predict the humidification process in spray tower.For predicting the heat and mass transfer in the water droplet–air two-phase flow, a one-dimensional numerical model simulating the conservation of heat and mass of water and humid air was developed. The model considers the effect of droplet motion on the heat and mass transfer. Experimental data were obtained on a pressurized model spray tower at different pressures and water/air ratios, which had been adopted to validate the numerical model. Droplet diameter of the spray was measured and these data were used in the model. Predictions of outlet conditions of air and water for giving input conditions agree well with experimental data, which produces a maximal error of 7.3%. On the basis of the model, distributions of droplet velocity and volumetric heat transfer coefficient over height of the tower are predicted. The effect of droplet diameter on the characteristic performance of spray humidifier is also analyzed in the simulation.     

Numerical simulation of convective heat transfer between air flow and ceramic foams to optimise volumetric solar air receiver performances

Porous ceramic foams are used to achieve high performance in solar heat recovery systems. Understanding the convective heat transfer between the air flow and the ceramic foam is of great importance when optimising the volumetric air receiver. In this work, the convective heat transfer was numerically studied. The present approach was designed to compute the local convective heat transfer coefficient between the air flow and a porous ceramic foam. For that purpose, the energy balance and the flow inside the porous ceramic foam were solved. In addition, a detailed geometry of the porous ceramic foam was considered. The ceramic foams were represented by idealised packed tetrakaidecahedron structures. The numerical simulations were based on the three dimensional Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations. A sensitivity study on the heat transfer coefficient was conducted with the porosity, velocity and mean cell size as parameters. Based on the numerical simulation results, a correlation for the volumetric local convective heat transfer coefficient between air and ceramic foams was developed. The resulting correlation covers a wide range of porosities, velocities, cell sizes and temperatures. The correlation results were compared with experimental data from the literature, and the comparison shows good agreement. The correlation is intended to be used in the design of volumetric solar air receivers.     

Experimental and analytical investigation on an automobile radiator with CuO/EG‐water based nanofluid as coolant

In the present study, experimental and analytical thermal performance of automobile radiator using nanofluids is investigated and compared with performance obtained with conventional coolants. Effect of operating parameters and nanoparticle concentration on heat transfer rate are studied for water as well as CuO/EG‐water based nanofluid analytically. The results are presented in the form of graphs showing variations of net heat transfer rate for various coolant flow rate, air velocity, and source temperature for various CuO/EG‐water based nanofluids. Experimental results indicate that with the increase in coolant flow rate and air velocity, heat transfer rate increases, reaches maximum and then decreases. Experimental investigation of a radiator is carried out using CuO/EG‐water based nanofluids. Results obtained by experimental work and analytical MATLAB code are almost the same. Maximum absolute error in water and air side is within 12% for all flow condition and coolant fluids. Nusselt number of nanofluid is calculated using equation number 33[9]. The results obtained from experimental work using 0.2% volume CuO/EG‐water based nanofluids are compared with the results obtained from MATLAB code. The results show that the maximum error in the outlet temperature of the coolant and air is 12% in each case. Thus MATLAB code can be used for different concentration of nanofluids to study the effect of operating parameters on heat transfer rate. Thus MATLAB code developed is valid for given heat exchanger applications. From the results obtained by already validated MATLAB code, it is concluded that increase in coolant flow rate, air velocity, and source temperature increases the heat transfer rate. Addition of nanoparticles in the base fluid increases the heat transfer rate for all kind of base fluids. Among all the nanofluid analyzed in this study, water‐based nanofluid gives highest value of heat transfer rate and is recommended for the heat exchanger applications under normal operating conditions. Maximum enhancement is observed for ethylene glycol‐water (4:6) mixture for 1% volume concentration of CuO is almost equal to 20%. As heat transfer rate increases with the use of nanofluids, the heat transfer area of the radiator can be minimized.     

3-D conjugate heat transfer analysis of PLCC packages mounted in-line on a Printed Circuit Board

This paper presents a three dimensional heat and fluid flow analysis of two Plastic Leaded Chip Carrier (PLCC) packages mounted in tandem arrangement on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) exposed to the free stream velocity. The numerical simulation was done using FLUENT 6.3 and the experiments were performed by using an air chamber with nozzle, at different approach air velocities to emulate the forced convection heat transfer phenomena. Parameters such as junction temperature, thermal resistance and top surface average Nusselt number have been studied for each package by varying the chip power, spacing between the packages and approach air velocities. The decrease in the junction temperature of the packages with the increase in approach air velocity is clearly observed. Furthermore, the Nusselt number of PLCC 1 is always slightly higher than PLCC 2 for all approach velocities considered. The results also show that the spacing between packages influences the thermal resistance and average Nusselt number for both packages at a particular approach air velocity. The simulation results obtained are found in satisfactory agreement with the experimental results.     

A study on heat transfer in a conical fluidized-bed reactor with an immersed cylindrical heater

In this paper, numerical and experimental analyses of the heat transfer between an immersed heater and a cone bed of sand particles were carried out. A three-dimensional (3D) model using the Eulerian–Eulerian model coupled with the kinetic theory for granular flow was used to simulate heat transfer and the related bed flow characteristics. The effects of different inlet gas velocities, represented by the fluidizing number (the ratio between inlet gas velocity to minimum fluidizing velocity), and different particle-wall boundary conditions on heat transfer and hydrodynamics were investigated. Both the experiments and numerical simulation results showed that the heat transfer coefficient and the bed expansion ratio increased with increasing the inlet gas velocity. For the particle-wall boundary condition, applying the no-slip condition showed the best agreement in the heat transfer coefficient and the bed expansion ratio to the experimental results.     

腔式太阳能高温空气吸热器传热过程数值模拟

介绍了一种应用于塔式太阳能热发电站的腔式高温空气吸热器,建立了吸热器内部空气流动及传热过程模拟数学模型,并通过数值方法,模拟了吸热器内部的空气流场和温度场。结果得知:空气进入吸热器后,沿内壁面轴向高速流动,随着深度的增加,速度越来越小,到达底部时速度最小;在压差的作用下,进入吸热器内部的空气会不断流向和冲刷针肋及壁面,而主流方向的流量不断减少;空气通过冲刷高温针肋及壁面不断吸收热量,温度不断升高;由于吸热器底部空气速度较小,对流换热系数较小和热流密度较大,因此该处温度较高,是整个吸热器的最脆弱部位;在高辐照强度情况下,虽然加大空气流量可降低吸热器壁面的温度,但由于其对流换热系数与空气流速不成正比例,壁面温度一般还会有所升高。     

闭式深层海水供冷系统换热特性及优化设计研究

针对低纬度岛屿地区全年温度高、湿度大,空调全年运行时间长而常规能源运输成本高,传统高能耗空调系统难以适应的问题,提出一种利用深层海水供冷的闭式空调系统。根据换热特性的差异,将换热管道分为沿程垂直换热管道和海底换热盘管两部分,通过数值模拟研究管径、流速等参数对垂直管段和海底换热盘管段传热性能的影响。研究结果表明：垂直管段管径在0.6 m以内,流速在1~2 m/s范围可保证较高的换热性能;对于海底换热盘管段,最佳管径为0.025~0.050 m,最佳流速为0.4~0.8 m/s。在此基础上建立适用于垂直管段优化设计的费用年值数学模型,计算其比摩阻、流速,形成设计用水力计算表,并给出适用于海底换热盘管段工程设计的设计线算图及其修正公式。     

Numerical and experimental investigations of heat transfer performance of rectangular coil heat exchangers

Both numerical and experimental investigations were conducted to understand convective heat transfer from a single round pipe coiled in rectangular pattern. The studied heat exchangers are composed with inner and outer coils so that the exterior flow is very similar to flow within tube-bundles. The inner and outer coils of the heat exchangers are in turn composed of bends and straight portions. Calculations and experiments were done for two cases with different outside flow arrangements. The results showed the effects of geometric arrangement with better heat transfer for the case 1 of staggered arrangement due mainly to its more tortuous flow characteristics and better mixing of the exterior fluid. The numerical and experimental results qualitatively agree well with each other. The numerical and experimental results showed that coiling a pipe so that an exterior fluid flows over or in tube bundle can help to induce the turbulence without increasing the velocity.     

Thermal Performance Prediction in the Air Gap of a Rotor-Stator Configuration: Effects of Numerical Models

This study is dedicated to a numerical investigation of convective heat transfer on the rotor surfaces of a rotor-stator configuration that is typically found in large hydro-generators.The computational fluid dynamics calculations with two turbulence modelling approaches are used to predict the flow structure and heat transfer in the air gap of the rotor-stator configuration.The steady state mixing plane approach is employed at the interface to couple the rotor and stator components.Results show that the location of mixing plane interface in the air gap plays an important role in the prediction of heat transfer on the pole face.Also,it is indicated that the prediction of temperature distribution on the pole face is greatly affected by the turbulence models used.Furthermore,through a comparison between the pure convective and conjugate heat transfer methodologies,it is shown that the inclusion of solid domain into the numerical model significantly improves the thermal prediction of the solid components of the machine.     

Experimental Study of Condensation in a Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger in the Presence of a Noncondensable Gas

In this paper, an experimental study of the condensation of water vapor from a binary mixture of air and low‐grade steam has been depicted. The study is based upon diffusion heat transfer in the presence of high concentration of noncondensable gas. To simplify the study, experimental analysis is supported by empirical solutions. The experimental setup is custom designed for testing a new shell and tube type heat exchanger supplied by the manufacturer. Air–vapor mixture at 80 °C (max) and 20.2% relative humidity enters the heat exchanger at a mass flow rate of 480 kg/h and condenses 27 kg/h vapor using cooling water at an inlet temperature of 7 °C to 10 °C and mass flow rate of 3500 kg/h. By using the experimental data of constant inlet air mass fraction, mixture gas velocity, and different volumetric flow rate of the cold fluid, the local heat transfer coefficients are obtained. The main objective of this work is to establish an approximate value for surface area and overall heat transfer coefficient of a horizontal shell and tube condenser used in process space. Under designed working conditions, the condenser is found to work efficiently with 90% vapor condensation by mass.     

Numerical and Experimental Investigations of Heat Removal Performance of Sodium-to-Air Heat Exchanger Used in Fast Reactors

Sodium-to-air heat exchangers (AHX) are used in fast breeder reactors for removal of decay heat generated in the core after a reactor shutdown. The AHX is an important component of the safety-grade decay heat removal system in a fast reactor. Decay heat removal critically depends on the performance of the AHX, which is essentially a cross-flow heat exchanger with liquid sodium flowing on the tube side and air flowing across finned tubes in the cross-flow mode. In this paper, a three-dimensional numerical study is carried out to investigate the flow and heat transfer characteristics when air flows over a representative bank of finned tubes in an AHX. The computational model has been validated against published experimental benchmarks. Based on parametric studies, appropriate correlations for the Nusselt number and fin effectiveness are derived. A computationally efficient porous body model is then developed and an integrated thermal hydraulics study of AHX is carried out using the derived heat transfer correlation. The numerical predictions of the porous body model are compared with the results of an experimental AHX tested at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research; Kalpakkam, India. A good agreement between the results is seen.     

Heat transfer of air-water dispersed flow in a vertical pipe

Heat transfer of air-water dispersed flow in a vertical heating pipe and its enhancement have been studied. The axial and circumferential wall temperature distributions were measured using various mist ratios and wall heat fluxes. The measured wall temperature increased sharply at a particular streamwise location, with a notable variation in the circumferential profile. This sharp increase was conceivably caused by a breakdown of the water film rather than by its dryout. A separate unheated experiment was carried out to estimate the droplet deposition velocity and the water-film flow rate. A numerical analysis, taking into account heat and mass transfer from the water film to the bulk flow, was performed in order to estimate the mean wall temperature. Good agreement was obtained with the experimental results in the area where the entire inner surface of the pipe was covered with the water film. In this area, the rate of heat transfer was approximately seven times larger than that for single phase air flow. This enhancement was shown to be due mainly to evaporation of the water film. The mechanism of heat transfer enhancement is discussed in detail using the numerical analysis results. © 1998 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Jpn Res, 27(4): 255–270, 1998     

Numerical investigation of the air flow through a bundle of IP-SOFC modules

The integrated-planar solid oxide fuel cell (IP-SOFC) consists of ceramic modules which have electrochemical cells printed on the outer surfaces. The cathodes are the outermost layer of each cell and are supplied with oxygen from air flowing over the outside of each module. The anodes are in direct contact with the ceramic structure and are supplied with fuel from internal gas channels. An IP-SOFC power plant will contain many modules closely packed together in an array inside a pressure vessel. The air flow is also used to cool the modules. This paper describes a three-dimensional numerical method for simulating the air flow. It uses an explicit time-marching scheme that incorporates a preconditioning method to increase the rate of numerical convergence at low flow velocities. The numerical method is used to simulate the air flow through an array of IP-SOFC modules. The scheme is straightforward to implement and can predict the recirculating flows existing between the modules within an array. The calculation procedure is used to investigate the effect of different sized gaps between modules on the local heat and mass transfer coefficients. The results show the effect of the module arrangement on the flow field and how increasing the gap between modules improves the heat and mass transfer at the module surfaces.     

Enhancing heat transfer in the core flow by using porous medium insert in a tube

According to the concept of heat transfer enhancement in the core flow, porous media with a slightly smaller diameter to a tube are developed and inserted in the core of the tube under the constant and uniform heat flux condition. The flow resistance and heat transfer characteristics of the air flow for laminar to fully turbulent ranges of Reynolds numbers are investigated experimentally and numerically. There are three different porous media used in the experiments with porosity of 0.951, 0.966 and 0.975, respectively. The effect of porous radius ratio on the heat transfer performance is studied in numerical simulation. Both numerical and experimental results show that the convective heat transfer is considerably enhanced by the porous inserts of an approximate diameter with the tube and the corresponding flow resistance increases in a reasonable extent especially in laminar flow. It shows that the core flow enhancement is an efficacious method for enhancing heat transfer.