Laminar flow and heat transfer in confined channel flow past square bars arranged side by side

A numerical investigation was conducted to analyze the unsteady laminar flow field and heat transfer characteristics in a plane channel with two square bars mounted side by side to the approaching flow. A finite volume technique is applied with a fine grid and time resolution. The transverse separation distance between the bars (G/d) is varied from 0 to 5, whereas the bar height to channel height is d/H=1/8, and the channel length is L=5H. Different flow regimes develop in the channel due the interaction between the two mounted square bars, steady flow, flow with vortex shedding synchronization either in phase or in anti-phase, or biased flow with low frequency modulation of vortex shedding are found. Results show that the pressure drop increase and heat transfer enhancement are strongly dependent of the transverse separation distance of the bars and the channel Reynolds number.