Heat Transfer Characteristics of Arrays of Free-Surface Liquid Jets

Abstract

In this study, local heat transfer data under arrays of free-surface liquid jets are measured with a two-dimensional infrared radiometer. Experimental measurements were made for three nozzle diameters using a seven-jet staggered and a nine-jet inline geometric array configuration. Nozzle-to-plate spacings of two and five nozzle diameters were investigated for four jet center-to-center spacings ranging from two to eight diameters in the jet Reynolds number range of 5000 to 20,000. Results show that the stagnation Nusselt number under the central jet is independent of array configuration and jet-to-jet spacing. The different inter jet flow interaction, as represented by different jet array configurations (the in-line array and the staggered array with different nozzle-to-nozzle spacings), shows negligible influence on local heat transfer under the central jet. Differences in the heat transfer characteristics for the two nozzle-to-plate spacings investigated were the result of an observed transition from confined submerged central jet flow to free-surface jet flow as the nozzle-to-plate spacing was increased. Secondary maxima in the Nusselt number were observed between the adjacent jets, being a direct consequence of the radial flow interaction between jets. A correlation for average heat transfer is presented.