Numerical study of the thermal development in a rotating cooling passage

Abstract

In the present study, the fully developed turbulent secondary flows inside rotating square-upstream section and rectangular downstream section oriented at several angles with axis rotation are numerically simulated using the low Reynolds Non-linear \( k - \omega \), \( k - \varepsilon \) Reynolds-Stress Model (RSM), and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) models. The two flat walls are heated (leading and trailing sides), while the outer wall and the splitter plate are thermally insulated. The simulation has been done at Re = 36,000 with different rotation numbers from Ro = −0.4 to Ro = 0.4, where negative Ro values refer to counter-clock wise and positive Ro values refer to clock wise sense of rotation. This enables to investigate the effects on the thermal development of the rotation numbers. The effects of minor modifications, in cross section area at the bend exit, on thermal development, under rotating conditions, can also be explored. The interactions between secondary flows and separation lead to very complex flow patterns. To accurately simulate these flows and heat transfer, both refined turbulence models and higher-order numerical schemes are indispensable for turbine designers to improve the cooling performance. Previous studies have shown that the flow and heat transfer features through curved bends, even with a moderate curvature, cannot be accurately simulated. It is the conventional belief and practice that the usage of a proper turbulence model and a reliable numerical method for achieving accurate computations. It is shown that the present RSM model produces satisfactory predictions of the flow development inside the sharp U-bend comparing with the experiments (Iacovides et al. 2006). In the present study, three turbulence models are used to predict Nusselt number distribution. The results were further compared with the LES computations and discussed the difference between the turbulence models and the LES as well.