Local mass transfer measurements in an inclined enclosure at high Rayleigh number

An electrochemical technique is used to study local mass transfer coefficients on surfaces of inclined enclosures over the range 1.1×10⁴ < Ra_H < 1.4×10¹⁰ for a nominal Schmidt number of 2280. Scaling with gcos instead of g in the Rayleigh number correlates the data well at low angles of inclination; however, as either the aspect ratio or the angle of inclination increase, the longitudinal density stratification causes the data to deviate from a power law scaling.

Laminar natural convection in a partially divided rectangular cavity at high Rayleigh number

Finite element predictions of two-dimensional laminar natural convection in a partially divided rectangular cavity at high Rayleigh number are presented. The walls are differentially heated, the horizontal surfaces are insulated and the cavity contains a partial vertical divider which is centrally located and whose height is varied. Detailed results are presented for an aluminium half-divider in water for Rayleigh number up to 10¹¹ and compared directly with recent experiments in a cavity of aspect ratio 1/2. The predicted flow and heat transfer are in good agreement with the measurements and confirm the existence of a high Rayleigh number regime with characteristic behaviour that differs significantly from that found at lower Rayleigh number. In addition, the effects of the divider height, the divider conductivity, the fluid Prandtl number and the cavity aspect ratio are studied. The results show that a direct simulation of the complex flow and heat transfer that occurs in partially divided cavities is possible for realistic physical conditions.     

DNS of passive scalar transport in turbulent channel flow at high Schmidt numbers

We perform DNS of passive scalar transport in low Reynolds number turbulent channel flow at Schmidt numbers up to Sc = 49. The high resolutions required to resolve the scalar concentration fields at such Schmidt numbers are achieved by a hierarchical algorithm in which only the scalar fields are solved on the grid dictated by the Batchelor scale. The velocity fields are solved on coarser grids and prolonged by a conservative interpolation to the fine-grid.

The trends observed so far at lower Schmidt numbers Sc  10 are confirmed, i.e. the mean scalar gradient steepens at the wall with increasing Schmidt number, the peaks of turbulent quantities increase and move towards the wall. The instantaneous scalar fields show a dramatic change. Observable structures get longer and thinner which is connected with the occurrence of steeper gradients, but the wall concentrations penetrate less deeply into the plateau in the core of the channel.

Our data shows that the thickness of the conductive sublayer, as defined by the intersection point of the linear with the logarithmic asymptote scales with Sc^−0.29. With this information it is possible to derive an expression for the dimensionless transfer coefficient K⁺ which is only dependent on Sc and Re_τ. This expression is in full accordance to previous results which demonstrates that the thickness of the conductive sublayer is the dominating quantity for the mean scalar profile.     

LES of incompressible heat and fluid flows past a square cylinder at high Reynolds numbers

This paper presents large eddy simulation (LES) results of incompressible heat and fluid flows around a square cylinder (SC) at zero incident angle at high Reynolds numbers (Re) in the range from 1.25×10⁵ to 3.5×10⁵. LES results are obtained on the basis of swirling strength based sub-grid model, and a higher order upwind scheme developed with respect to the Taylor expansion. It was found that, for the zero incident SC wake flows at a Reynolds number in the range {Re₅ = Re/10⁵ ∈ [1.25, 3.5]}, the Strouhal number equals to 0.1079, completely independent of the Reynolds number; the coefficient of drag is around 1.835 with an uncertainty of about 1.9%, almost non-sensitive to the Re. When Re is beyond 3.0×10⁵, the time-averaged peak value of sub-grid viscosity is over 340, implying that the role of sub-grid model is crucial in some regions where vortex motion is active and vortex interaction is intense. The time–spanwise (t-z) averaged sub-grid viscosity ratio profiles and the profiles of fluctuations of the sub-grid viscosity ratio and velocity components at four locations downstream of the SC are presented. The fields of the t-z averaged sub-grid viscosity ratio, and the instantaneous fields of streamwise and spanwise vorticities are also reported and discussed. The predicted mean Nusselt number is compared with empirical correlations, revealing that swirling strength based LES has its potential in predicting natural and industrial flows.     

Time-dependent natural convection in a square cavity: Application of a new finite volume method

A new finite volume (FV) approach with adaptive upwind convection is used to predict the two-dimensional unsteady flow in a square cavity. The fluid is air and natural convection is induced by differentially heated vertical walls. The formulation is made in terms of the vorticity and the integral velocity (induction) law. Biquadratic interpolation formulae are used to approximate the temperature and vorticity fields over the finite volumes, to which the conservation laws are applied in integral form. Image vorticity is used to enforce the zero-penetration condition at the cavity walls. Unsteady predictions are carried sufficiently forward in time to reach a steady state. Results are presented for a Prandtl number (Pr) of 0-71 and Rayleigh numbers equal to 10³, 10⁴ and 10⁵. Both 11 × 11 and 21 × 21 meshes are used. The steady state predictions are compared with published results obtained using a finite difference (FD) scheme for the same values of Pr and Ra and the same meshes, as well as a numerical bench-mark solution. For the most part the FV predictions are closer to the bench-mark solution than are the FD predictions.     

Consistency issues of Lagrangian particle tracking applied to a spray jet in crossflow

Numerical simulations are performed for multiphase jets in crossflow. The flow solver uses an Eulerian/Lagrangian approach. Turbulence in the gas phase is modeled in the framework of large eddy simulation. The dispersed phase is handled using Lagrangian particle tracking. The model assumptions of solvers for Lagrangian particle tracking are critically assessed for typical flow conditions of spray jets in crossflow. The droplets are assumed to be spherical and isolated. It is shown that several model assumptions are apparently inconsistent in larger portions of the flow field. Firstly, average Weber numbers can be so large that the model assumption to regard droplets as spherical is questionable, not only near the nozzle, but also in the far-field. Secondly, the average droplet spacing can be so low that droplets directly interact with each other, again also in the far-field. Thirdly, the average Stokes numbers in the jet region can be so large that the phase coupling between the dispersed and continuous phase is weak. Some remedies to these deficiencies are proposed.     

Natural convection in an inclined quadrantal cavity heated and cooled on adjacent walls

Natural convective flow and heat transfer in an inclined quadrantal cavity is studied experimentally and numerically. The particle tracing method is used to visualize the fluid motion in the enclosure. Numerical solutions are obtained via a commercial CFD package, Fluent. The working fluid is distilled water. The effects of the inclination angle, ? and the Rayleigh number, Ra on fluid flow and heat transfer are investigated for the range of angle of inclination between 0° ? ? ? 360°, and Ra from 10⁵ to 10⁷. It is disclosed that heat transfer changes dramatically according to the inclination angle which affects convection currents inside, i.e. flow physics inside. A fairly good agreement is observed between the experimental and numerical results.     

MHD natural convection flow and heat transfer in a laterally heated partitioned enclosure

This study looks at MHD natural convection flow and heat transfer in a laterally heated enclosure with an off-centred partition. Governing equations in the form of vorticity–stream function formulation are solved using the polynomial differential quadrature (PDQ) method. Numerical results are obtained for various values of the partition location, Rayleigh, Prandtl and Hartmann numbers. The results indicate that magnetic field significantly suppresses flow, and thus heat transfer, especially for high Rayleigh number values. The results also show that the x-directional magnetic field is more effective in damping convection than the y-directional magnetic field, and the average heat transfer rate decreases with an increase in the distance of the partition from the hot wall. The average heat transfer rate decreases up to 80% if the partition is placed at the midpoint and an x-directional magnetic field is applied. The results also show that flow and heat transfer have little dependence on the Prandtl number.     

Experimental observations of the thermal flow around a square obstruction on a vertical wall in a differentially heated cavity

The transient thermal boundary layer flow around a square obstruction placed at the middle of the hot wall in a differentially heated cavity is visualized using a shadowgraph technique. The results show that the thermal boundary layer flow, which is blocked by the obstruction, firstly forms an intrusion head under the obstruction (the lower intrusion head). Subsequently, the lower intrusion head bypasses the obstruction and reattaches to the down-stream boundary. During the reattachment process, a more complicated flow is induced, and eventually both the lower intrusion head and the thermal boundary layer destabilize. After the lower intrusion head is convected away, the thermal boundary layer flow re-stabilizes. At the quasi-steady state, the thermal boundary layer forms a double-layer structure, which is split into two sections by the obstruction. It is demonstrated that both the transient processes and the quasi-steady state flow structures of the thermal boundary layer are significantly altered by the obstruction in comparison with the case without the obstruction.     

Natural convection flow in a square cavity revisited: Laminar and turbulent models with wall functions

Numerical simulations have been undertaken for the benchmark problem of natural convection flow in a square cavity. The control volume method is used to solve the conservation equations for laminar and turbulent flows for a series of Rayleigh numbers (Ra) reaching values up to 10¹⁰. The k-? model has been used for turbulence modelling with and without logarithmic wall functions. Uniform and non-uniform (stretched) grids have been employed with increasing density to guarantee accurate solutions, especially near the walls for high Ra-values. ADI and SIP solvers are implemented to accelerate convergence. Excellent agreement is obtained with previous numerical solutions, while some discrepancies with others for high Ra-values may be due to a possibly different implementation of the wall functions. Comparisons with experimental data for heat transfer (Nusselt number) clearly demonstrates the limitations of the standard k-? model with logarithmic wall functions, which gives significant overpredictions.     

The numerical solution of the unsteady natural convection flow in a square cavity at high Rayleigh number using SADI method

The unsteady natural convection flow in a square cavity at high Rayleigh number Ra=10 ⁷ and 2×10 ⁷ has been computed using cubic spline integration. The required solutions to the two dimensional Navier-Stokes and energy equations have been obtained using two alternate numerical formulations on non-uniform grids. The main features of the transient flow have been briefly discussed. The results obtained by using the present method are in good agreement with the theoretical predictions ^[1,2].The steady state results have been compared with accurate solutions presented recently for Ra=10 ⁷.     

Particle deposition model for particulate flows at high temperatures in gas turbine components

This study proposes an improved physical model to predict sand deposition at high temperature in gas turbine components. This model differs from its predecessor (Sreedharan and Tafti, 2011) by improving the sticking probability by accounting for the energy losses during particle-wall collision based on our previous work (Singh and Tafti, 2013). This model predicts the probability of sticking based on the critical viscosity approach and collision losses during a particle–wall collision. The current model is novel in the sense that it predicts the sticking probability based on the impact velocity along with the particle temperature. To test the model, deposition from a sand particle laden jet impacting on a flat coupon geometry is computed and the results obtained from the numerical model are compared with experiments (Delimont et al., 2014) conducted at Virginia Tech, on a similar geometry and flow conditions, for jet temperatures of 950 °C, 1000 °C and 1050 °C. Large Eddy Simulations (LES) are used to model the flow field and heat transfer, and sand particles are modeled using a discrete Lagrangian framework. Results quantify the impingement and deposition for 20–40 μm sand particles. The stagnation region of the target coupon is found to experience most of the impingement and deposition. For 950 °C jet temperature, around 5% of the particle impacting the coupon deposit while the deposition for 1000 °C and 1050 °C is 17% and 28%, respectively. In general, the sticking efficiencies calculated from the model show good agreement with the experiments for the temperature range considered.     

Experimental laminar Rayleigh-Bénard convection in a cubical cavity at moderate Rayleigh and Prandtl numbers

Rayleigh-Bénard convection in a cubical cavity with adiabatic or conductive sidewalls is experimentally analyzed at moderate Rayleigh numbers (Ra ≤ 8 × 10⁴) using silicone oil (Pr=130) as the convecting fluid. Under these conditions the flow is steady and laminar. Three single-roll-type structures and an unstable toroidal roll have been observed inside the cavity with nearly adiabatic sidewalls. The sequence from the conductive state consists of a toroidal roll that evolves to a diagonally oriented single roll with increasing Rayleigh number. This diagonal roll, which is stabilized by the effect of the small but finite conductivity of the walls, shifts its axis of rotation towards to two opposite walls, and back to the diagonal orientation to allow for the increase in circulation that occurs as the Rayleigh number is further increased. Conduction at the sidewalls modifies this sequence in the sense that the two initial single rolls finally evolve into a four-roll structure. Once formed, this four-roll structure remains stable when decreasing the Rayleigh number until the initial single diagonally oriented roll is again recovered. The topology and the velocity fields of all structures, characterized with visualization and particle image velocimetry, respectively, are in good agreement with numerical results reported previously for the cavity with adiabatic walls, as well as with the numerical predictions obtained in the present study for perfectly conducting lateral walls. Received: 10 August 1998/Accepted: 1 August 2000     

Numerical analysis of buoyant flow in a hemispherical enclosure at high Rayleigh numbers

A numerical analysis is presented for buoyancy driven flow of a Newtonian fluid contained in a two dimensional (R, ) hemispherical enclosure for high Rayleigh (Ra) numbers. It is assumed that the flow is driven by the uniformly distributed internal heat sources within the enclosure. All walls of the cavity are maintained at a constant temperature. Finite volume based SIMPLER algorithm has been used for the present analysis. Discretised governing equations, in primitive variables, are solved by a combination of Three Diagonal Matrix Algorithm (TDMA) and Point Successive Overrelaxation (PSOR) method. A benchmark solution prepared for a Ra number range of 10⁷ to 10¹² and Prandtl (Pr) number 7.0, shows an excellent agreement with the experimental results obtained from the open literature.     

Double diffusive convection of anomalous density fluids in a porous cavity

A numerical study has been performed to analyze the combined effect of temperature and species gradients on the buoyancy-driven natural convection flow of cold water near its density extremum contained in a porous cavity. The governing equations are descretized using the finite volume method. The results of the investigation are presented in the form of steady-state streamlines, velocity vectors, isotherms, and isoconcentrationlines. The results are discussed for different porosities, Darcy numbers, and Grashof numbers. The heat and mass transfer rates calculated are found to behave nonlinearly with hot wall temperature. The heat and mass transfer are increased with increasing Darcy number and porosity. It is found that the convective heat and mass transfer rate are greatly affected by the presence of density maximum.     

Transport and deposition of neutral particles in magnetohydrodynamic turbulent channel flows at low magnetic Reynolds numbers

The effect of Lorentz force on particle transport and deposition is studied by using direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow of electrically conducting fluids combined with discrete particle simulation of the trajectories of uncharged, spherical particles. The magnetohydrodynamic equations for fluid flows at low magnetic Reynolds numbers are adopted. The particle motion is determined by the drag, added mass, and pressure gradient forces. Results are obtained for flows with particle ensembles of various densities and diameters in the presence of streamwise, wall-normal or spanwise magnetic fields. It is found that the particle dispersion in the wall-normal and spanwise directions is decreased due to the changes of the underlying fluid turbulence by the Lorentz force, while it is increased in the streamwise direction. The particle accumulation in the near-wall region is diminished in the magnetohydrodynamic flows. In addition, the tendency of small inertia particles to concentrate preferentially in the low-speed streaks near the walls is strengthened with increasing Hartmann number. The particle transport by turbophoretic drift and turbulent diffusion is damped by the magnetic field and, consequently, particle deposition is reduced.     

Combined radiation and natural convection in a rectangular cavity with a transparent wall and containing a non-participating fluid

This paper describes a numerical method for the study of combined natural convection and radiation in a rectangular, two-dimensional cavity containing a non-participating (i.e. transparent) fluid. One wall of the cavity is isothermal, being heated either by solar radiation or independently. The opposite wall is partially transparent, permitting radiation exchanges between the cavity and its surroundings and/or the Sun; that wall also exchanges heat by convection from its external surface to the surroundings. The other two walls are adiabatic: convection and radiation there are balanced, so that there is no heat transfer through those walls. The equations of motion and energy are solved by finite difference methods. Coupled to these equations are the radiative flux boundary conditions which are used to determine the temperature distribution along the non-isothermal walls. A two-band radiation model has been employed. Results are presented for a square cavity with a vertical hot wall at 150 °C, the ambient at 20 °C and 10⁴ ? Ra ? 3 × 10⁵, in the absence of direct insolation. The effects on the flow and heat transfer in the cavity of radiation and external convection have been examined. More extensive results will be presented in subsequent papers.     

Determination of particle exchange rates at over-flow weirs in horizontal fluidised beds by particle tracking velocimetry

Residence time distributions (RTDs) in horizontal fluidised beds have a huge effect on solid product properties and are influenced by the internal design of the apparatus, e.g. the separation into different compartments by weirs. Weirs can be passed in or against the overall solid transport direction, with the back-flow resulting in axial dispersion, which is a measure of the spread of the RTD. Therefore, the ratio of exchange rates at weirs under different fluidisation conditions provides information on axial dispersion. In this work, a methodology based on particle tracking velocimetry is presented to obtain information on the exchange rates of particles at weirs in horizontal fluidised beds. The internal recirculation is studied for over-flow weirs with respect to different fluidisation conditions, providing a first step towards determining the effects of weirs and fluidisation conditions on axial dispersion and RTDs in horizontal fluidised beds.     

Transient natural convection of low-Prandtl-number fluids in a differentially heated cavity

The transient convective motion in a two-dimensional square cavity driven by a temperature gradient is analysed. The cavity is filled with a low-Prandtl-number fluid and the vertical walls are maintained at constant but different temperatures, while the horizontal boundaries are adiabatic. A control volume approach with a staggered grid is employed to formulate the finite difference equations. Numerically accurate solutions are obtained for Prandtl numbers of 0·001, 0·005 and 0·01 and for Grashof numbers up to 1 × 10⁷. It was found that the flow field exhibits periodic oscillation at the critical Grashof numbers, which are dependent on the Prandtl number. As the Prandtl number is decreased, the critical Grashof number and the frequency of oscillation decrease. Prior to the oscillatory flow, steady state solutions with an oscillatory transient period were predicted. In addition to the main circulation, four weak circulations were predicted at the corners of the cavity.