Natural convection heat transfer along vertical rectangular ducts

Experimental investigations have been reported on steady state natural convection from the outer surface of vertical rectangular and square ducts in air. Seven ducts have been used; three of them have a rectangular cross section and the rest have square cross section. The ducts are heated using internal constant heat flux heating elements. The temperatures along the vertical surface and the peripheral directions of the duct wall are measured. Axial (perimeter averaged) heat transfer coefficients along the side of each duct are obtained for laminar and transition to turbulent regimes of natural convection heat transfer. Axial (perimeter averaged) Nusselt numbers are evaluated and correlated using the modified Rayleigh numbers for laminar and transition regime using the vertical axial distance as a characteristic length. Critical values of the modified Rayleigh numbers are obtained for transition to turbulent. Furthermore, total overall averaged Nusselt numbers are correlated with the modified Rayleigh numbers and the area ratio for the laminar regimes. The local axial (perimeter averaged) heat transfer coefficients are observed to decrease in the laminar region and increase in the transition region. Laminar regimes are obtained at the lower half of the ducts and its chance to appear decreases as the heat flux increases.     

Flow structure, heat transfer and pressure drop in varying aspect ratio two-pass rectangular smooth channels

Two-pass channels are used for internal cooling in a number of engineering systems e.g., gas turbines. Fluid travelling through the curved path, experiences pressure and centrifugal forces, that result in pressure driven secondary motion. This motion helps in moving the cold high momentum fluid from the channel core to the side walls and plays a significant role in the heat transfer in the channel bend and outlet pass. The present study investigates using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the flow structure, heat transfer enhancement and pressure drop in a smooth channel with varying aspect ratio channel at different divider-to-tip wall distances. Numerical simulations are performed in two-pass smooth channel with aspect ratio W_in/H = 1:3 at inlet pass and W_out/H = 1:1 at outlet pass for a variety of divider-to-tip wall distances. The results show that with a decrease in aspect ratio of inlet pass of the channel, pressure loss decreases. The divider-to-tip wall distance (W_el) not only influences the pressure drop, but also the heat transfer enhancement at the bend and outlet pass. With an increase in the divider-to-tip wall distance, the areas of enhanced heat transfer shifts from side walls of outlet pass towards the inlet pass. To compromise between heat transfer and pressure drop in the channel, W_el/H = 0.88 is found to be optimum for the channel under study.     

Numerical investigation of thermosolutal natural convection in a rectangular enclosure of an aspect ratio four with heat and solute sources

A numerical study of double-diffusive natural convection in an enclosure with a partial vertical heat and mass sources for an aspect ratio Ar = 4 has been carried out. The influence of various dimensionless parameters (Rayleigh number, buoyancy ratio, source location, Lewis number, and source length) on the flow behavior are investigated. Correlations of average Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are obtained as function of two parameters (Ra, d) and (Le, d), respectively.     

Effect of vertical heat transfer on thermocapillary convection in an open shallow rectangular cavity

In order to understand the effect of the vertical heat transfer on thermocapillary convection characteristics in a differentially heated open shallow rectangular cavity, a series of two- and three-dimensional numerical simulations were carried out by means of the finite volume method. The cavity was filled with the 1cSt silicone oil (Prandtl number Pr = 13.9) and the aspect ratio ranged from 12 to 30. Results show that thermocapillary convection is stable at a small Marangoni number. With the increase of the heat flux on the bottom surface, thermocapillary convection transits to the asymmetrical bi-cellular pattern with the opposite rotation direction. The roll near the hot wall shrinks as the Marangoni number increases. At a large Marangoni number, numerical simulations predict two types of the oscillatory thermocapillary flow. One is the hydrothermal wave, which is dominant only in a thin cavity. The other appears in a deeper cavity and is characterized by oscillating multi-cellular flow. The critical Marangoni number for the onset of the oscillatory flow increases first and then decreases with the increase of the vertical heat flux. The three-dimensional numerical simulation can predict the propagating direction of the hydrothermal wave. The velocity and temperature fields obtained by three-dimensional simulation in the meridian plane are very close to those obtained by two-dimensional simulation.     

Magnetohydrodynamic natural convection heat transfer from radiate vertical porous surfaces

Magnetohydrodynamic natural convection heat transfer from radiate vertical surfaces with fluid suction or injection is considered. The nonsimilarity parameter is found to be the conductive fluid injection or suction along the streamwise coordinate = V{4x/² g(T _w – T )}^1/4. Three dimensionless parameters had been found to describe the problem: the magnetic influence number N = B ² _y /V ², the radiation-conduction parameter R _d = k _R /4aT ³ , and the Gebhart number Ge _x = gx/cp to represent the effect of the viscous dissipation. It is found that increasing the magnetic field strength causes the velocity and the heat transfer rates inside the boundary layer to decrease. Its apparent that increasing the radiation-conduction parameter decreases the velocity and enhances the heat transfer rates. The Gebhart number, i.e, the viscous dissipation had no effect on the present problem.Nomenclature a Stefan-Boltzmann constant - B _y Magnetic field flux density Wb/m² - Cf _x Local skin friction factor - c _p Specific heat capacity - f Dimensionless stream function - Ge _x Gebhart number, gx/cp - g Gravitational acceleration - k Thermal Conductivity - L Length of the plate - N Magnetic influence number, B ² _y /V ² - p Pressure - Pr Prandtl number - q _r Radiative heat flux - q _w (x) Local surface heat flux - Q _w (x) Dimensionless Local surface heat flux - R _d Planck number (Radiation-Conduction parameter), k _R /4aT ³ - T Temperature - T Free stream temperature - T _w Wall temperature - u, v Velocity components in x- and y-directions - V Porous wall suction or injection velocity - V _w Porous wall suction or injection velocity - x, y Axial and normal coordinates - Thermal diffusivity Greek symbols _R Roseland mean absorption coefficient, 4/3R _d - Coefficient of thermal expansion - Nonsimilarity parameter, V{4x/² g(T _w – T )}^1/4 - Peseudo-similarity variable - Dimensionless temperature - _w Ratio of surface temperature to the ambient temperature, T _w /T - Dynamice viscosity - Kinemtic viscosity - Fluid density - Electrical conductivity - _w Local wall shear stress - Dimensional stream function     

Mass and heat transfer by natural convection in a vertical cavity

This paper reports a fundamental study of laminar natural convection in a rectangular enclosure with heat and mass transfer from the side, when the bouyancy effect is due to density variations caused by either temperature or concentration variations. In the first part of the study scale analysis is used to determine the scales of the flow, temperature and concentration fields in boundary layer flow for all values of Prandtl and Lewis numbers. In particular, scale analysis shows that in the extreme case where the flow is driven by bouyancy due to temperature variations, the ratio of mass transfer rate divided by heat transfer rate scales as $\text{Le}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>2</mtext>}}$ only if (Pr > 1, Le < 1) or (Pr < 1, Sc < 1), and as $\text{Le}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>1</mtext><mtext>3</mtext>}}$ if (Pr > 1, Le > 1) or (Pr < 1, Sc > 1). In the second part of the study, the boundary layer scales derived in the first part are used to determine the heat and mass transport characteristics of a vertical slot filled with fluid. Criteria for the existence of distinct thermal and concentration boundary layers in the slot are determined. Numerical solutions for the flow and concentration fields in a slot without distinct thermal boundary layers are reported. These solutions support further the method of scale analysis employed in the first part of the study     

Turbulent natural convection in vertical parallel-plate channels

The problem of buoyancy driven turbulent flow in parallel-plate channels is investigated. The investigation is limited to vertical channels of uniform cross-section with different modes of heating. The details of the flow and thermal fields are obtained from the solution of the conservation equations of mass, momentum, and energy in addition to equations of the low Reynolds number turbulence model. The study covers Rayleigh number ranging from 10⁵ to 10⁷ and focuses on the effect of channel geometry on the characteristic of the flow and thermal fields as well as the local and average Nusselt number variation. A Nusselt number correlation has been developed in terms of a modified Rayleigh number and channel aspect ratio for the cases of symmetrically heated isothermal and isoflux conditions.     

Optimum fin spacing of rectangular fins on a vertical base in free convection heat transfer

The steady-state natural convection heat transfer from aluminum vertical rectangular fins extending perpendicularly from vertical rectangular base was investigated experimentally. Thirty different fin configurations were tested. Experiments were performed for fin lengths of 250 and 340 mm. Fin thickness was kept fixed at 3 mm. Fin height and fin spacing were varied from 5 to 25 mm and 5.75 to 85.5 mm, respectively. Five heat inputs ranging from 25 to 125 W were supplied for all fin configurations, hence; the base-to-ambient temperature differences were measured in order to evaluate the heat transfer rates from fin arrays. The results of experiments have shown that the convective heat transfer rate from fin arrays depends on geometric parameters and base-to-ambient temperature difference. The separate roles of fin height, fin spacing and base-to-ambient temperature difference were investigated. It was found that, for a given base-to-ambient temperature difference, the convective heat transfer rate from fin arrays takes on a maximum value as a function of fin spacing and fin height and an optimum fin spacing value which maximizes the convective heat transfer rate from the fin array is available for every fin height. These measurements were to extend data obtained earlier from aluminum fin-arrays using the same experimental system and method (Yüncü and Güvenç in Heat Mass Transfer 37:409–416, 2001). Data collated from earlier and present work cover the range of fin spacing from 4.5 to 85.5 mm. The fin length range was from 100 to 340 mm, the fin height from 5 to 25 mm and the number of fins per array 3 to 34. The range of base-to-ambient temperature difference was quite extensive, from 30 to 150 K. These results indicate that the optimum fin spacing is between 6.1 and 11.9 mm, for the fin arrays employed in the earlier and present work. A scale analysis is performed in order to estimate the order-of-magnitude of optimum fin spacing at a given fin length and base-to-ambient temperature difference. From the scale analysis, correlations to evaluate the optimum fin spacing value and the corresponding maximum convective heat transfer rate at a given fin length and base-to-ambient temperature difference were obtained.     

Experimental study of flow and heat transfer in rib-roughened rectangular channels

Secondary flow patterns, pressure drop and heat transfer in rib-roughened rectangular channels have been investigated. The aspect ratio of the channels is 1–8, and ribs are attached to the wide channel walls in order to set up swirling motions. The geometries tested consist of channels having cross ribs, parallel ribs, cross V-ribs, parallel V-ribs, and multiple V-ribs (Swirl Flow Tube). The flow patterns were investigated using smoke wire visualization and LDV measurements. The smoke wire experiments have been performed at Re=1100 and the LDV measurements at Re=3000 at periodic fully developed conditions. The heat transfer and pressure drop are described by j and f factors for Reynolds numbers from 500 to 15 000. The distributions of axial mean velocity and turbulent fluctuations are strongly influenced by the secondary flows. Large mean velocities and small fluctuations are found in regions where the secondary flow is directed towards a surface, while small mean velocities and large fluctuations are found in regions where the secondary flow is directed away from a surface. The Swirl Flow Tube provides a significant increase in the j factor at Reynolds numbers from 1000 to 2000, but unfortunately also an increase in the f factor. At higher Reynolds numbers, the j and f factors of the Swirl Flow Tube are of the same order of magnitude as for the other rib-roughened channels. It is found that the flow direction in a channel with parallel V-ribs has important influence on the j/f ratio. At Reynolds numbers above 4000, this channel provides the highest j/f ratio if the V-ribs are pointing upstream; while it provides the lowest j/f ratio of all rib configurations, if the V-ribs are pointing downstream.     

Experimental study on turbulent natural convection heat transfer in water with sub-millimeter-bubble injection

Using thermocouples and a particle tracking velocimetry technique, temperature and velocity measurements are conducted to investigate flow and heat transfer characteristics of turbulent natural convection from a vertical heated plate in water with sub-millimeter-bubble injection. Hydrogen-bubbles generated by the electrolysis of water are used as the sub-millimeter-bubbles. In the turbulent region, the heat transfer deterioration occurs for a bubble flow rate Q = 33 mm³/s, while the heat transfer enhancement occurs for Q = 56 mm³/s. Temperature and velocity measurements suggest that the former is caused by a delay of the transition due to the bubble-induced upward flow. On the other hand, the latter is mainly due to two factors: one is the enhancement of the rotation of eddies in the outer layer, and the other is the increase in the gradient of the streamwise liquid velocity at the heated wall. These are caused by bubbles, which are located in the inner layer, rising at high speed.     

Laminar natural convection heat transfer from vertical plate to power-law fluid

Summary Approximate solutions for laminar natural convection heat transfer between a vertical plate and a power-law fluid with high Prandtl number were obtained using an integral method for cases with various types of boundary conditions. The results were found in good agreement with available experimental evidence.Nomenclature a exponent defined by equations (28) and (29) - A, B, C, D, E constants defined by equations (15) to (19) - C ₁, C ₂, M ₁, M ₂ coefficients for Nusselt number expression defined by (32b), (33b) - f temperature difference, equal to T _s–T - f ⁺ dimensionless temperature difference - g gravitational acceleration - Gr Grashof number defined by (25), (50) and (66), respectively - H heat flux at plate surface - h _x local heat transfer coefficient - K consistency index for Power-law fluid - k thermal conductivity of fluid - K ₁, K ₂ constants defined by (50) and (51) - L height of plate - n flow behavior index for Power-law fluid - P a quantity defined by (54a) - T temperature - T _s plate temperature - T temperature of the bulk of fluid - s constant given by (35) - u velocity component along x-direction - u _x maximum velocity induced by natural convection current, (10) - v velocity component along y-direction - x distance measured along direction parallel to that of gravitational force - x ⁺ dimensionless quantity, defined as x/L - y distance measured away from plate - Nu _x local Nusselt number - Nu _av average Nusselt number - Pr Prandtl number defined by (24) - T temperature difference according to boundary conditions - thermal diffusivity of fluid - coefficient of thermal expression of fluid - boundary layer thickness - ⁺ dimensionless boundary layer thickness - dimensionless velocity profile - dimensionless variable, defined as y/ - dimensionless temperature difference     

Combined heat and mass transfer in natural convection between vertical parallel plates

This study purposes to examine the effects of latent heat transfer associated with the liquid films vaporization on the heat transfer in the natural convection flows driven by the simultaneous presence of combined buoyancy forces of thermal and mass diffusion. Results are especially presented for an air-water system under various conditions. The influence of channel length and system temperatures on the momentum, heat and mass transfer in the flow are investigated in great detail. The important role of transport of latent heat of vaporization under the situations of buoyancy-aiding and opposing flows is clearly demonstrated.     

Effects of wetted wall on natural convection heat transfer between vertical parallel plates

This study proposes to investigate the effects of latent heat transfer, in association with the water vapor evaporation from the wetted channel wall, on the natural convection heat transfer. Major nondimensional groups identified areGr _T ,Gr _M ,Pr, Sc and. Results are especially presented for an air-water system under various heating conditions. The influences of channel length, wetted wall temperatures and the relative humidity of the moist air in the ambient on the heat and mass transfer are examined in great detail. Tremendous enhancement in heat transfer due to the exchange of the latent heat of vaporization is clearly demonstrated.Diese Studie untersucht die Effekte von latenter Wärmeübertragung, in Verbindung mit der Verdampfung von Wasser an benetzten Kanalwänden, auf die Wärmeübertragung mittels freier Konvektion. Die bei der Berechnung verwandten dimensionslosen Variablen sindGr _T ,Gr _M ,Pr, Sc und. Ergebnisse werden speziell für ein Luft-Wasser-System unter verschiedenen Heizbedingungen dargestellt. Die Einflüsse der Kanallänge, der Temperatur der benetzten Wand und der relativen Luftfeuchtigkeit der Umgebung auf die Wärme- und Stoffübertragung werden im Detail beschrieben. Die starke Vergrößerung der Wärmeübertragung infolge des Austausches von latenter Verdampfungswärme wird dargestellt.     

Experimental investigation of heat transfer and flow pattern from heated horizontal rectangular fin array under natural convection

This paper presents results of the experimental study conducted on heated horizontal rectangular fin array under natural convection. The temperature mapping and the prediction of the flow patterns over the fin array with variable fin spacing is carried out. Dimensionless fin spacing to height (S/H) ratio is varied from 0.05 to 0.3 and length to height ratio (L/H) = 5 is kept constant. The heater input to the fin array assembly is varied from 25 to 100 W. The single chimney flow pattern is observed from 8 to 12 mm fin spacing. The end flow is choked below 6 mm fin spacing. The single chimney flow pattern changes to sliding or end flow choking at 6 mm fin spacing. The average heat transfer coefficient (h_a) is very small (2.52–5.78 W/m² K) at 100 W for S = 5–12 mm. The h_a is very small (1.12–1.8 W/m² K) at 100 W for 2–4 mm fin spacing due to choked fin array end condition. The end flow is not sufficient to reach up to central portion of fin array and in the middle portion there is an unsteady down and up flow pattern resulting in sliding chimney. The central bottom portion of fin array channel does not contribute much in heat dissipation for S = 2–4 mm. The h_a has significantly improved at higher spacing as compared to lower spacing region. The single chimney flow pattern is preferred from heat transfer point of view. The optimum spacing is confirmed in the range of 8–10 mm. The average heat transfer results are compared with previous literature and showed similar trend and satisfactory agreement. An empirical equation has been proposed to correlate the average Nusselt number as a function of Grashof number and fin spacing to height ratio. The average error for this equation is ?0.32 %.     

Frost formation in vertical channels under natural convection

Processes involving heat transfer from a humid air stream to a cold plate, with simultaneous deposition of frost, are of great importance in a variety of refrigeration equipment. In this paper, frost growth on a cold, vertical plate in free convection has been experimentally investigated. The cold plate (0.095 m high, 0.282 m wide) was placed in vertical channels open at the top and bottom in order to permit the natural circulation of ambient air. The channels, rectangular in shape, were 2.395 m high and 0.36 m wide, with the depth set equal either to 20 mm, or 10 mm, or 6 mm in order to infer the influence of channel flow area on the natural convection and frost formation. The cold plate temperature and the air relative humidity were varied in the −40 to −4 °C and 31–85% range, respectively, with the air temperature held fixed at 27 °C (±1 °C). Several quantities (thickness, temperature and mass of frost, heat flux at the cold plate), were measured during the time-evolution of the process (7.5 h from the frost growth inception), and are presented as functions of the input parameters (relative humidity and cold plate temperature); in particular, the role exerted by the plate confinement on the frost growth is discussed. Data are recast in order to identify compact parameters able to correlate frost mass, thickness and density data.     

Numerical research of turbulent heat transfer in rectangular channels in ocean environment

Because of the effects of periodic ocean waves, there are many differences between the heat transfer characteristics of turbulent flow in ocean environment from that of land-based systems. The turbulent flow in rectangular channels in ocean environment is investigated theoretically with CFD code FLUENT. The effects of rolling motion consist of two parts, the first part is the axial additional force which can change the flowing velocity and the other part is the radial additional force. In ocean environment, the turbulent heat transfer is dominated by the axial additional force. The effect of radial additional force is very limited. The effect of length–width ratio on the oscillating amplitude of Nusselt number is also not significant. The average Nusselt number and its oscillating amplitude are in linear relation with the average Reynolds number. The oscillating amplitude of Nusselt number is in direct ratio with the fluctuation-velocity Reynolds number.     

Mixed convection in vertical channels with a discrete heat source

Two dimensional laminar mixed convection flow in vertical channels with a discrete heat source was numerically analyzed. An isoflux discrete heating element was located on the left wall, while the isothermal conditions were imposed on the other wall. The governing equations were solved using a finite difference method based on the control volume approach. The mean Nusselt number was calculated and the maximum component temperature was determined. The computations were carried out for different Grashof number, Reynolds number, heater locations and the channel width. It was observed that the location of the heating element does not play a considerable role on the flow. At low Reynolds numbers (Re<50), the mean Nusselt number and the maximum temperature are mainly controlled by the Grashof number. However, at higher Reynolds numbers, the Reynold number plays an important role on the flow. It was also found that at low Reynolds numbers, cooling is more effective when the channel width is large (W/H>1). However, at high Reynolds numbers more effective cooling is obtained in narrow channels.

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Mischkonvektion in vertikalen Kanälen mit einer lokalen Wärmequelle

Zusammenfassung Die zweidimensionale laminare Mischkonvektion in vertikalen Kanälen mit einer lokalen Wärmequelle wird numerisch untersucht. Ein Heizelement konstanter Wärmeleistung befindet sich auf der linken Kanalwand, die rechte hat konstante Temperatur. Die Lösung der Grundgleichung erfolgte mit Hilfe der auf dem Kontrollvolumenprinzip basierenden Finitdifferenzenmethode. Die mittlere Nusselt-Zahl sowie die Maximaltemperatur des Heizelementes wurden berechnet, und zwar unter Variation der Grashof-Zahl, der Reynolds-Zahl, der Lage des Heizelements und der Kanalbreite. Letztere hatte nur geringen Einfluß auf den Strömungsverlauf. Bei kleinen Reynolds-Zahlen (Re<50) werden Nusselt-Zahl und Maximaltemperatur vorrangig durch die Grashof-Zahl bestimmt, während bei hohen Reynolds-Zahlen letztere den Strömungsvorgang beherrscht. Ferner zeigte sich, daß bei niedrigen Reynolds-Zahlen die Kühlung für große Kanalbreite (W/H>1) effektiver wird und bei hohen Reynolds-Zahlen die Verhältnisse gerade umgekehrt liegen.

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Nomenclature g gravitational acceleration - Gr Grashof number (Gr=gqH ⁴/v²k) - H heater hight - k thermal conductivity of fluid - L height of the channel - Nu Nusselt number - P pressure - Pr Prandtl number - Re Reynolds number (Re=V ₀H/v) - S position of heater center - T temperature - T _c cold wall temperature - T ₀ inlet temperature - u velocity component inx-direction - U dimensionless velocity component inx-direction (U=u/V ₀) - x horizontal axis - X dimensionless horizontal axis (x/H) - v velocity component iny-direction - V dimensionless velocity component iny-direction (V=v/V ₀) - V ₀ inlet velocity - W width of the channel - y vertical axis - Y dimensionless vertical axis (y/H) Greek symbols a thermal diffusivity - thermal expansion coefficient - density of fluid - kinematic viscosity - dimensionless temperature (=(T–T _c)/[qH/k])     

Experimental study on the convective heat transfer behavior of microencapsulated phase change material suspensions in rectangular tube of small aspect ratio

An experimental study on the heat transfer performance of microencapsulated phase change material suspensions flowing in the rectangular tube of small aspect ratio (b/a = 0.14) is presented in this work. The slurry of higher MPCM concentration shows better cooling performance in the most section of dimensionless axial distance whereas worse in a small section at the beginning. Up to 20.6% of the dimensionless wall temperature was decreased by the 20 wt% MPCM suspension as compared to water.     

Measurements of heat dissipation from miniaturized vertical rectangular fin arrays under dominant natural convection conditions

Experiments have been conducted to investigate the effects of miniaturizing the base plate dimensions of vertically based straight rectangular fin arrays on the steady-state heat-dissipation performance under dominant natural convection conditions. The miniaturization process was initiated from a square-based array of 49×49 mm² (maximum base area) and terminated at a square-based array of 25×25 mm² (minimum base area) with rectangular-based arrays of varying intermediate areas in between. Two inter-fin separation distances of 3 and 11 mm were used. The effect of base plate orientation on the heat-dissipation performance was studied through comparison of present results with those of an earlier work, in which the arrays were miniaturized with the base horizontally oriented. A correlation for miniaturized vertically based straight rectangular fin arrays, which employed the fin length as the prime geometric parameter, has been presented on the basis of the experimental conditions of this investigation.