Numerical simulation of conjugate, turbulent mixed convection heat transfer in a vertical channel with discrete heat sources

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive numerical study to analyze turbulent mixed convection in a vertical channel with a flush-mounted discrete heat source in each channel wall. The conjugate heat transfer problem is solved to study the effect of various parameters like the thermal conductivity of the wall material ( k s), the thermal conductivity of the flush-mounted discrete heat source ( k c), Reynolds number ( Re s), modified Richardson number ( Ri⁎) and the aspect ratio of the channel (AR). The standard k– ε turbulence model, modified by including buoyancy effects, without wall functions, has been used for the analysis. The two-dimensional governing equations are discretised on a semi-staggered, non-uniform grid, using the finite volume method. The asymptotic computational fluid dynamics (ACFD) technique has been then applied to obtain a correlation for the non-dimensional maximum temperature θ¯ max, which can be used for a wide range of parameters.