Rib Heat Transfer Coefficient Measurements in a Rib-Roughened Square Passage
Three staggered 90° rib geometries corresponding to blockage ratios of 0.133, 0.167 and 0.25 were tested for pitch-to-height ratios of 5, 8.5 and 10, and for two distinct thermal boundary conditions of heated and unheated channel walls. Comparisons were made between the surface averaged heat transfer coefficients and friction factors for ribs with rounded corners and those with sharp comers, reported previously. Heat transfer coefficients of the furthest upstream rib and that of a typical rib located in the middle of the rib-roughened region of the passage wall were also compared. It was concluded that: a) For the geometries tested, the rib average heat transfer coefficient was much higher than that for the area between the ribs. For the sharp-corner ribs, the rib average heat transfer coefficient increased with blockage ratio. However, when the corners were rounded, the trend depended on the level of roundness. b) High blockage ratio (e/Dh=0.25) ribs were insensitive to the pitch-to-height ratio. For the other two blockage ratios, the pitch-to-height ratio of 5 produced the lowest heat transfer coefficient. Results of the other two pitch-to-height ratios were very close, with the results of S/e = 10 slightly higher than those of S/e=8.5. c) Under otherwise identical conditions, ribs in the furthest upstream position produced lower heat transfer coefficients for all cases except that of the smallest blockage ratio with S/e of 5. In that position, for the rib geometries tested, while the sharp-comer rib average heat transfer coefficients increased with the blockage ratio, the trend of the round-corner ribs depended on the level of roundness, r/e. d) Thermal performance decreased with the blockage ratio. While the smallest rib geometry at a pitch-to-height ratio of 10 had the highest thermal performance, thermal performance of high blockage ribs at a pitch-to-height ratio of 5 was the lowest. e) The general effects of rounding were a decrease in heat transfer coefficient for the midstream ribs and an increase in heat transfer coefficient for ribs in the furthest upstream position.