Combined convection heat transfer in a channel with two ribs attached to one wall

Abstract

Two-dimensional calculations were performed for combined convection heat transfer in a channel with two ribs attached to one wall, following a previous study on the forced convection case without buoyancy. The flow is heated from the surfaces of both ribs and the present study dealt with the two cases of buoyancy-assisted flow and buoyancy-opposing flow. The effect of Reynolds number, ReL, and modified Richardson number, Ri*, was examined keeping the space between ribs, σ, and blockage ratio, τ, constant (σ = 3.0, τ = 0.5). Increasing the magnitude of buoyancy, unsteady flows predicted by the present calculations are stabilized in both cases. Serious deterioration of Nusselt number on the second rib suddenly occurs in a certain range of Ri* due to the flow stabilization. This is because flow unsteadiness plays an important role for heat transfer enhancement as was described in a previous study. However, in buoyancy-assisted flow, a similar deterioration of Nusselt number also appears on the second rib even if flow remains steady. This is caused by the disappearance of a strong rotating flow which exists in the cavity between both ribs and keeps the fluid in the cavity cooler. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 28(5): 379–394, 1999