Numerical investigation of turbulent flow and heat transfer in two-pass ribbed channels

Abstract

In this study, the heat transfer and friction characteristics of four different rib geometries- 45° angled, V-shaped, W-shaped and M-shaped ribs in a two-pass stationary channel have been numerically investigated. The aspect ratio (Height to Width) of the cooling channel was 1:1 (square). The rib pitch-to-rib height ratio (p/e) and the rib-height-to-channel hydraulic diameter ratio (e/Dh) were 16 and 0.125 respectively. The Reynolds number was varied from 20,000 to 70,000. For the computations, the Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations were solved with the commercial software ANSYS Fluent using the realizable version of k-ε (RKE) model. The heat transfer results were benchmarked with experiments on a test rig with similar geometries and flow conditions. Detailed analysis of the flow characteristics in the two-pass channel was carried out so as to understand the interaction of the rib-induced secondary flows and the bend-induced secondary flows and their contribution to heat transfer enhancement. The heat transfer enhancement provided by V-shaped ribs was 7% higher than 45° ribs, 28% higher than W-shaped ribs and 35% higher than M-shaped ribs. However, the pressure penalty for V-shaped ribs was 19% higher than 45° ribs, 24% higher than W-shaped ribs and 28% higher than M-shaped ribs. On comparing the overall thermal hydraulic performance, V-shaped and 45° ribs were observed to perform significantly better than W-shaped and M-shaped ribs.