Flow and heat transfer over a backward-facing step with a cylinder mounted near its top corner

A study was made to see if it is possible to enhance the heat transfer in the downstream region of a backward-facing step, where heat transfer is normally deteriorated, by the insertion of a cylinder near the top corner of the step. Cylinder size and streamwise position of the cylinder were kept constant but the cross-stream position of the cylinder was changed in three steps. Results of the heat transfer experiment, flow visualization, and measurement of the averaged and fluctuating flow fields were reported. When the cylinder was mounted at a position, a little higher than the top surface of the step, a jet-like flow pattern emerged in the averaged velocity profile beneath the cylinder and the recirculating flow was intensified. Therefore, the velocity of recirculating flow near the wall is increased at some streamwise positions. Additionally, the velocity fluctuation was intensified not only in the shear layer between the jet-like flow and the recirculating flow regions but also in the near wall region, resulting in the effective augmentation of heat transfer in this case. Therefore, it is concluded that the mounting of a cylinder is effective in the enhancement of deteriorated heat transfer in the recirculating flow region, if its is mounted in a proper position.