Laminar Flow and Heat Transfer Characteristics in Jackets of Triangular Flow Channels

Abstract

Laminar flow and heat transfer characteristics of jacketed vessel with triangular flow channels were numerically studied under hydrodynamically and thermally fully developed conditions. Constant heat flux at the heated wall was assumed. The numerical program code in terms of vorticity, stream function, axial velocity component and energy equations was written based on a finite volume method. Based on the numerical results, the flow and temperature field were given, and the effects of Dean and Prandtl numbers on flow and heat transfer were examined, and the correlations of flow resistance and mean Nusselt number were developed for the jacket. The results show that the structure of secondary flow is steady two vortices in the investigated range of dimensionless curvature ratio and Reynolds number. Two peaks of local Nusselt number increase significantly with Prandtl and Dean number increasing, but the local Nusselt numbers near two ends and at the center of the heated wall increase only slightly. The center and two ends of heated wall are the poor positions for heat transfer in the jacket. Compared with the outer half coil jacket at the same area of heated wall, curvature radius, Reynolds number and Prandtl number, the jacket of triangular flow channel has lower flow resistance and less mean Nusselt number.