Effect of aspect ratio and inclined angle on the fluid flow and heat transfer past two parallel flat plates

Abstract

The flow past two parallel flat plates is undoubtedly one of the most classic problems in fluid mechanics, as the aerodynamic and heat transfer performance can be significantly affected by the geometry of the flat plate. In this work, using the open-source package OpenFOAM, we first performed a numerical investigation on the fluid flow and heat transfer past two parallel flat plates with different aspect ratios (AR) and inclined angles (α). The representative vortex structures and instantaneous flow patterns were presented and analyzed. We then discussed the local force characteristics and heat transfer rate on the plate walls, as well as the velocity and temperature distributions near the wake. The global flow unsteadiness and heat transfer characteristics were obtained. The numerical results revealed that larger AR and α enhanced the flow unsteadiness and increased the fluid force. The global heat transfer performance increased with increasing α, but first decreased and then increased with increasing AR. The objective of this work was to further achieve a more effective flat plate application and to provide theoretical support for its improvement.