Numerical simulation of slit wall effect on the Taylor vortex flow with radial temperature gradient

Abstract

Abstract Numerical simulation was applied to investigate the Taylor vortex flow inside the concentric cylinders with a constant radial temperature gradient. The reliability of numerical simulation method was verified by the experimental results of PIV. The radial velocity and temperature distribution in plain and 12-slit model at different axial locations were compared, and the heat flux distributions along the inner cylinder wall at different work conditions were obtained. In the plain model, the average surface heat flux of inner cylinder increased with the inner cylinder rotation speed. In slit model, the slit wall significantly changed the distribution of flow field and temperature in the annulus gap, and the radial flow was strengthen obviously , whichpromote d the heat transfer process at the same working condition. Keywords : Taylor vortex flow, Slit wall, temperature gradient, heat transfer, numerical simulation 1. Introduction In 1923, Taylor[1] discovered the secondary flow existed in the annulus gap between two relatively rotating concentric cylinders, which is called Taylor-Couette flow. Since then, a lot of scholars carried out in-depth research on it. Yang[2] studied the transition process of Taylor-Couette flow by flow visualization method, the aluminum particles were added to investigate the stability of flow field, they found as the rotation speed increased, the aluminum particles have the axial motion before the transition to Taylor vortex flow. Kedia et al.[3] studied the effects of heat transfer on Taylor-Couette flow, and found the heat transfer decreased with Grashof number in axisymmetric Taylor vortex flow regime, and increased with Grashof number after the flow becomes non-axisymmetric. Lee and Minkowycz [4] studied heat transfer characteristics by using the naphthalene sublimation technique in the annular gap between two short concentric cylinders which had either two walls or one plain plain and one axially slit wall, and yielded qualitative information regarding heat transfer but did not address the flow phenomena inside the annular gap. Liu[5] studied the axial wall slits effect on the Taylor vortex flow in the gap between two concentric cylinders by Particle Image Velocimetry, and found the existence of slit wall accelerated the transition process.