Heat Transfer of Compressed Air Flow in a Spanwise Rotating Four-Pass Serpentine Channel

Abstract

Convective heat transfer of compressed air flow in a radially rotating four-pass serpentine channel is investigated experimentally in the present study. The coolant air was compressed at 5 atmospheric pressure to achieve a high rotation number and Reynolds number simultaneously. The main governing parameters are the Prandtl number, the Reynolds number for forced convection, and the rotation number for the Coriolis-force-induced cross-stream secondary flow and the Grashof number for centrifugal buoyancy. To simulate the operating conditions of a real gas turbine, the present study kept the parameters in the test rig approximately the same as those in a real engine. The air in the present serpentine channel was pressurized to increase the air density for making up the low rotational speed in the experiment. The air flow was also cooled to increase the density ratio before entering the rotating ducts. Consequently, the order of magnitude of Grashof number in the present study was the same as that in real operating conditions. The local heat transfer rate on the walls of the four-pass serpentine channel are correlated and compared with that in the existing literature.