Periodical heat transfer in parallel-plate channel of improved flow-inclining inserts

Abstract

The convective heat transfer and the flow resistance in the 2-D channel with quasi-streamlined insert have been numerically studied in the periodically fully developed regime. The range of the Reynolds number covers both the laminar and the turbulent flow. The effect of the insert angle, the plate thickness vs the Reynolds number on the heat transfer and the friction factor has been identified. The heat transfer gets stronger monotonically with the insert angle from 0° to 30°. Nevertheless, the insert angle impacts the flow resistance in the laminar case much less than in the turbulent case. The combined analysis indicates that the thicker insert is suitable to use in the laminar flow and the thinner insert suitable to the turbulent flow. In any case, the quasi-streamlined insert acts as an upgrader to the local heat transfer coefficient. In comparison with the effect of the original straight flow-inclining insert, the streamlined insert largely diminishes the flow resistance but with only moderate deterioration of the heat transfer. The assessment under the identical pump power consumption reveals the superiority of the improved streamline insert to the straight one.