Heat transfer in rectangular channels with transverse and V-shaped broken ribs

Abstract

Repeated ribs are used on heat exchange surfaces to promote turbulence and enhance convective heat transfer. Applications include fuel rods of gas-cooled nuclear reactors, inside cavities of turbine blades, and internal surfaces of pipes used in heat exchangers. Despite the great number of literature papers, only few experimental data concern detailed distribution of the heat transfer coefficient in channels with rib turbulators. This issue was tackled by means of the steady-state liquid crystal thermography: a pre-packaged liquid crystal film was glued onto the heated surface, and the colour map was taken by a video camera at the steady state of a given experiment. After calibration tests to assess the colour–temperature relationship had been performed, local heat transfer coefficients were obtained by applying custom-made software to process the digitised colour images. Liquid crystal thermography was applied to the study of heat transfer from a rectangular channel (width-to-height ratio equal to five) having one surface heated at uniform heat flux and roughened by repeated ribs. The ribs, having rectangular or square sections, were deployed transverse to the main direction of flow or V-shaped with an angle of 45 or 60 deg relative to flow direction. The effect of continuous and broken ribs was also considered. Local heat transfer coefficients were obtained at various Reynolds numbers, within the turbulent flow regime. Area-averaged data were calculated in order to compare the overall performance of the tested ribbed surfaces and to evaluate the degree of heat transfer enhancement induced by the ribs with respect to the smooth channel.