A Computational Study of Convection Heat Transfer to CO2 at Supercritical Pressures in a Vertical Mini Tube

Computational simulations of experiments on turbulent convection heat transfer of carbon dioxide at supercritical pressures in a vertical tube of diameter 0.948 mm have been carried out using low-Reynolds number eddy viscosity turbulence models. The simulations were able to reproduce the general features exhibited in the experiments. The modelling study has provided valuable information on the detailed flow and turbulence fields. It has been shown that for mini tubes such as the one used in the current study, the buoyancy effect is generally insignificant. Heat transfer can be significantly impaired when the heating is strong. This is due to the reduced turbulence production, induced by the flow acceleration which is in turn caused by strong heating.Copyright © 2004 by ASME

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