Local convective heat transfer for laminar and turbulent flow in a rotor-stator system

Abstract The aim of this work is to show a better comprehension of the flow structure and thermal transfer in a rotor-stator system with a central opening in the stator and without an airflow imposed. The experimental technique uses infrared thermography to measure the surface temperatures of the rotor and the numerical solution of the steady-state heat equation to determine the local heat transfer coefficients. Analysis of the flow structure between the rotor and the stator is conducted by PIV. Tests are carried out for rotational Reynolds numbers ranging from 5.87×10⁴ to 1.4×10⁶ and for gap ratios ranging from 0.01 to 0.17. Analysis of the experimental results has determined the influence of the rotational Reynolds number, the gap ratio and systems geometry on the flow structure, and the convective exchanges in the gap between the rotor and the stator. Some correlations expressing the local Nusselt number as a function of the rotational Reynolds number and the gap ratio are proposed.