Numerical analysis of three-dimensional flow, heat and mass transfer in arbitrary-shaped ducts

Abstract

In this study, the three-dimensional flow, heat and mass transfer characteristics in a horizontal chemical vapor deposition (CVD) reactor with a tilted susceptor are analyzed numerically. As the physical domain for the CVD reactor has an irregular region, the Cartesian coordinates are transformed into a general curvilinear coordinate system. For calculating the governing equations, the SIMPLE algorithm is extended and modified to employ the curvilinear system. From the above modeling, the effects of flow rate and tilt angle of suscept on the uniformity and growth rate of reactant gas at the susceptor are investigated. The results show that the existence of return flows leads locally to the improvement of heat transfer, but it is not good for the uniformity of the susceptor. As the tilt angle of the susceptor is increased (from 0° to 9°), the amount of heat transfer and growth rate are improved irrespective of Reynolds number.© 1999 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 28(6): 474–483, 1999