A numerical study of convective heat transfer from an array of parallel blunt plates

Two-dimensional (2-D) laminar flow and heat transfer through an array of parallel flat plates with finite thickness was studied numerically. A computer program based on the bounded skew hybrid differencing (BSHD) scheme was used and validated to determine the recirculation length, friction factor, and Nusselt number distribution along the plates. Computations were performed for a wide range of Reynolds number (100 < ReD < 400), Prandtl number (0.7 < Pr < 10.0), and blockage ratios (0.083 < Br < 0.40). Results were compared for flow through an array of thin plates. Significant variations in friction factor and Nusselt number were noticed when the plate thicknesses were increased. For practical engineering applications, two correlations were developed: (1) the first correlation predicts the recirculation length in terms of the Reynolds number and blockage ratio; and (2) the second correlation determines the maximum Nusselt number close to the reattachment point in terms of the Reynolds number, Prandtl number, and blockage ratio.

[1]  Frank P. Incropera,et al.  Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer , 1981 .

[2]  Danesh K. Tafti,et al.  A numerical study of flow separation and reattachment on a blunt plate , 1991 .

[3]  J. P. V. Doormaal,et al.  ENHANCEMENTS OF THE SIMPLE METHOD FOR PREDICTING INCOMPRESSIBLE FLUID FLOWS , 1984 .

[4]  S. Orszag,et al.  Renormalization group analysis of turbulence. I. Basic theory , 1986, Physical review letters.

[5]  Ned Djilali,et al.  Turbulent Flow Around a Bluff Rectangular Plate. Part II: Numerical Predictions , 1991 .

[6]  M. Yaghoubi,et al.  A numerical study of convective heat transfer from a blunt plate at low Reynolds number , 1996 .

[7]  B. Launder,et al.  The numerical computation of turbulent flows , 1990 .

[8]  S. Orszag,et al.  Development of turbulence models for shear flows by a double expansion technique , 1992 .

[9]  Ned Djilali,et al.  Forced Laminar Convection in AN Array of Stacked Plates , 1994 .

[10]  Ned Djilali,et al.  Turbulent Flow Around a Bluff Rectangular Plate. Part I: Experimental Investigation , 1991 .

[11]  S. Orszag,et al.  Renormalization group analysis of turbulence. I. Basic theory , 1986 .

[12]  F. L. Test,et al.  Heat Transfer to Separated Flow Regions From a Rectangular Prism in a Cross Stream , 1984 .

[13]  B. Launder,et al.  THE NUMERICAL COMPUTATION OF TURBULENT FLOW , 1974 .

[14]  A. D. Gosman,et al.  Numerical Prediction of Turbulent Flow over Surface-Mounted Ribs , 1985 .

[15]  J. C. Lane,et al.  Leading Edge Separation From a Blunt Plate at Low Reynolds Number , 1980 .

[16]  Ephraim M Sparrow,et al.  Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of arrays of rectangular modules encountered in electronic equipment , 1982 .