Laminar Flow and Heat Transfer in Spiral Ducts of Rectangular Cross Section

Author(s):  
Michael W. Egner ◽  
Louis C. Burmeister

Laminar flow and heat transfer in three-dimensional spiral ducts of rectangular cross section with aspect ratios of 1, 4, and 8 were determined with the aide of the FLUENT computational fluid dynamics program. Peripherally-averaged coefficients of friction and Nusselt numbers are presented as a function of distance from the inlet and of the Dean number. Fully-developed values of friction coefficient and Nusselt number for a constant-radius-of-curvature duct, either toroidal or helical with small pitch, can be used to predict those quantities for the spiral duct in post-entry regions. These results are applicable to spiral-plate heat exchangers.

2005 ◽  
Vol 127 (3) ◽  
pp. 352-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael W. Egner ◽  
Louis C. Burmeister

Laminar flow and heat transfer in three-dimensional spiral ducts of rectangular cross section with aspect ratios of 1, 4, and 8 were determined by making use of the FLUENT computational fluid dynamics program. The peripherally averaged Nusselt number is presented as a function of distance from the inlet and of the Dean number. Fully developed values of the Nusselt number for a constant-radius-of-curvature duct, either toroidal or helical with small pitch, can be used to predict those quantities for the spiral duct in postentry regions. These results are applicable to spiral-plate heat exchangers.


2003 ◽  
Vol 125 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. C. Humphrey ◽  
J. Cushner ◽  
M. Al-Shannag ◽  
J. Herrero ◽  
F. Giralt

The two-dimensional wall-driven flow in a plane rectangular enclosure and the three-dimensional wall-driven flow in a parallelepiped of infinite length are limiting cases of the more general shear-driven flow that can be realized experimentally and modeled numerically in a toroid of rectangular cross section. Present visualization observations and numerical calculations of the shear-driven flow in a toroid of square cross section of characteristic side length D and radius of curvature Rc reveal many of the features displayed by sheared fluids in plane enclosures and in parallelepipeds of infinite as well as finite length. These include: the recirculating core flow and its associated counterrotating corner eddies; above a critical value of the Reynolds (or corresponding Goertler) number, the appearance of Goertler vortices aligned with the recirculating core flow; at higher values of the Reynolds number, flow unsteadiness, and vortex meandering as precursors to more disorganized forms of motion and eventual transition to turbulence. Present calculations also show that, for any fixed location in a toroid, the Goertler vortex passing through that location can alternate its sense of rotation periodically as a function of time, and that this alternation in sign of rotation occurs simultaneously for all the vortices in a toroid. This phenomenon has not been previously reported and, apparently, has not been observed for the wall-driven flow in a finite-length parallelepiped where the sense of rotation of the Goertler vortices is determined and stabilized by the end wall vortices. Unlike the wall-driven flow in a finite-length parallelepiped, the shear-driven flow in a toroid is devoid of contaminating end wall effects. For this reason, and because the toroid geometry allows a continuous variation of the curvature parameter, δ=D/Rc, this flow configuration represents a more general paradigm for fluid mechanics research.


2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Xuan Zhang ◽  
Taocheng Zhao ◽  
Suchen Wu ◽  
Feng Yao

Although roughness is negligible for laminar flow through tubes in classic fluid mechanics, the surface roughness may play an important role in microscale fluid flow due to the large ratio of surface area to volume. To further verify the influence of rough surfaces on microscale liquid flow and heat transfer, a performance test system of heat transfer and liquid flow was designed and built, and a series of experimental examinations are conducted, in which the microchannel material is stainless steel and the working medium is methanol. The results indicate that the surface roughness plays a significant role in the process of laminar flow and heat transfer in microchannels. In microchannels with roughness characteristics, the Poiseuille number of liquid laminar flow relies not only on the cross section shape of the rough microchannels but also on the Reynolds number of liquid flow. The Poiseuille number of liquid laminar flow in rough microchannels increases with increasing Reynolds number. In addition, the Nusselt number of liquid laminar heat transfer is related not only to the cross section shape of a rough microchannel but also to the Reynolds number of liquid flow, and the Nusselt number increases with increasing Reynolds number.


2006 ◽  
Vol 128 (8) ◽  
pp. 819-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jixiang Yin ◽  
Guojun Li ◽  
Zhenping Feng

This paper reported three-dimensional numerical simulations of the steady laminar flow and heat transfer in corrugated-undulated channels with sinusoidal waves, aiming to investigate the effects of intersection angles (θ) between corrugated and undulated plate and Reynolds number (Re) on the flow and heat transfer. The simulations are conducted by using multi-channel computational domain for three different geometries. The code is validated against experimental results and then data for Nusselt number (Nu) and friction factor (f) are presented in a Re range of 100-1500, and intersection angle range of 30-150deg. The simulation confirms the changes of Nuu (averaged over undulated plate) and Nuc (averaged over corrugated plate) with θ representing different characteristics. As θ increases, Nu (Nuu or Nuc) is about 2–16 times higher for the corrugated-undulated configurations CP-UH1 and CP-UP1 and the concomitant f is about 4–100 higher, when compared to a straight channel having square cross section. The minimum of local Nu ( Nuu or Nuc ) is situated at the four contact points where the top plate touches the bottom one, and the high Nu is located upstream of the crest of the conjugate duct. Performance evaluation for the CP-UH1 channel shows that the goodness factors (G) are larger than 1 with the straight channel having a square cross section as a reference, and the 30deg geometry channel has optimal flow area goodness.


2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yinhai Zhu ◽  
Yanzhong Li

In this paper, four basic fins of the plate-fin heat exchangers, rectangular plain fin, strip offset fin, perforated fin, and wavy fin, are modeled and simulated by taking account of fin thickness, thermal entry effect, and end effect. Three-dimensional numerical simulations on the flow and heat transfer in the four fins are investigated and carried out at laminar flow regime. Validity of the modeling technique is verified by comparing computational results with both corresponding experimental data and three empirical correlations from literatures. Global average Colburn factor (j factor) and friction factor (f factor) and their local 1D streamwise-average distributions along the fins are presented by introducing data reduction method. The heat transfer behaviors in both the developing and developed regions are analyzed by examining variations of the local Nusselt number along the flow direction. It is found that the thermal entry length of the four fins might be expressed in the format of Le=c1 Rec2 Pr Dh, which has the same form as the one in a circular tube.


1980 ◽  
Vol 102 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Yee ◽  
R. Chilukuri ◽  
J. A. C. Humphrey

A numerical study of heat transfer in 90 deg, constant cross section curved duct, steady, laminar, flow is presented. The work is aimed primarily at characterizing the effects on heat transfer of duct geometry and entrance conditions of velocity and temperature by considering, especially, the role of secondary motions during the developing period of the flow. Calculations are based on fully elliptic forms of the transport equations governing the flow. They are of engineering value and are limited in accuracy only by the degree of computational mesh refinement. A comparison with calculations based on parabolic equations shows how the latter can lead to erroneous results for strongly curved flows. Buoyant effects are excluded from the present study so that, strictly, the results apply to heat transfer flows in the absence of gravitational forces such as arise in spacecraft.


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