Enhancement of thermo-fluid performance of square cylinder by dual splitter plates

Abstract

In various applications of flow over a cylinder, the convective heat transfer is required to be enhanced for better operation by maintaining the operating temperature. In this paper, the influence of splitter plates on the fluid forces and heat transfer around a square cylinder is discussed thoroughly. The placement of the splitter plates is novel in its kind as these are placed at the top and bottom surfaces of a square cylinder instead of the conventional position i.e. downstream or upstream of the cylinder. Effect of this novel position of the splitter plates on the heat transfer along with the wake topology for a range of Reynolds number (Re) (60 ≤ Re ≤ 150) is not available in the previous study and accordingly, a rigorous investigation of the flow physics is presented here. Two splitter plates are utilized of the same geometry with varying lengths, locations, and orientations. It is found that the primary recirculation length decreases with increasing Re by introducing the splitter plates compared to a bare cylinder and the corresponding primary separation angle, ψS1 is significantly affected by the geometry of the splitter plates. The splitter plates have a mixed effect on the fluid forces and heat transfer rate for all the considered Re. A maximum percentage of reduction on the mean drag coefficient and R.M.S (root mean squared) lift coefficient is found as 9% and 20%, respectively. Whereas, a maximum percentage enhancement of 40.7% is obtained on the heat transfer rate by introducing the splitter plates. However, the splitter plate geometry and its location can be decided according to the requirement of the heat transfer rate based on the application and the corresponding demand on the fluid forces.