Modeling of heat transfer and hydraulic resistance in short and long straight round pipes with semicircular turbulators depending on geometric and operating parameters

Abstract

Objective. The aim of the study was to determine the dependence of the distributions of average integral hydraulic resistances and convective heat transfer in turbulent flow in pipes with small (short channel) and large (long channel) sequences of semicircular periodic protrusions based on numerical solutions of the Reynolds equation systems, closed using Menter's shear stress transfer models, and energy equations on a multi-scale intersecting structured grid.Method. The calculation technique based on finite volume solutions of the Reynolds equation, closed using the Menter shear stress transfer model and the energy equation on a multi-scale intersecting structured grid, made it possible, with acceptable errors, to calculate the average coefficients of hydraulic resistance and heat transfer in a pipe with different quantities annular semicircular ledges.Result. Analytical comparisons were made of the calculated ratios for relative heat transfer and hydraulic resistance on the number of protrusions in channels with different values of relative heights of turbulators h/D, relative steps between turbulators t/D, different values of the Reynolds criteria Re, with other equivalent parameters, which showed that in in which case the qualitative deviations of the above characteristics are carried out monotonously, and in which case they are accompanied by extrema or inflections, and also showed cases of qualitative changes in the calculated characteristics. With the transition from 30 protrusions to 50, as a rule, only quantitative differences occur for the relative parameters of hydraulic resistance and heat transfer, and their qualitative changes are insignificant; with a further transition from 50 protrusions to 100, their quantitative changes also become insignificant.Conclusion. The nature of the patterns of distributions of the mean integral characteristics of flows and heat transfer for a channel with protrusions of various numbers must be taken into account for a short channel. An analysis of the calculated information obtained showed that when moving from a short channel with turbulators to a long one, most often, there is an increase in relative heat transfer and a decrease in relative hydraulic resistance, which justifies the advantage, from the point of view of intensification, of heat transfer by turbulence of the flow of the last channels in relation to the first channels.