Mixed convection heat transfer in a vertical channel with a semicylinder

What is it about?

An experimental study of mixed convection heat transfer is carried out in a vertical channel with a one- sided semicylindrical constriction with prescribed heat flux while the other bounding walls are insulated and adiabatic. The semicylinder is placed horizontally at the mid-plane. For relatively large values of the buoyancy parameter, flow visualization images and thermal analysis confirm the presence of a complex three-dimensional (3D) two-vortex structure with two recirculation bubbles present at the forebody and rear of the semicylinder. The results show that variation of the local temperature distributions with angular posi- tion and spanwise location become evident, and their relation to the presence of a complex 3D vortex structure that develops close to the semicylindrical constriction has been studied and discussed in detail.

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Photo by Patrik Lindeberg on Unsplash

Photo by Patrik Lindeberg on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Flow in constricted channels with irregular surfaces is often present in many fluidic devices and has wide engineering applications in the cooling of electronic equipment. In most electronic equipment applications, cross-sectional protuberances or heated irregular surfaces in blocked passages are a common occurrence. Bacause complex geometries generate detachment and reattachment of flows and develop recirculation regions that enhance mixing and significantly improve the thermal performance of heat transfer devices, we study experimentally the the effect of these obstructions on the modification of the flow and heat transfer characteristics.

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