Steady and unsteady numerical investigations of laminar fluid flow and heat transfer in a 180∘ bend with bypass

Abstract

The present study investigates the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics in a 180∘ bend domain with a bypass in the divider section using an in-house code based on Streamline Upwind Petrov-Galerkin Finite Element Method. The ratio of the inlet height to outlet height (IOR), location of the bypass (Lbyp) and Reynolds number (Re) are the parameters considered to assess the effects of heat transfer in a 180∘ bend. Flow in three IOR geometries i.e., IOR 1:2, 1:1, 2:1 with three Lbyp (−7, −5, −3) and Re in the range of 100–900 is investigated. IOR and Lbyp significantly affect the flow transitions from steady-state to periodic unsteady and finally to chaotic unsteady state. In this study, it is established that the IOR-bypass combination augments the heat transfer and decreases the pressure drop, which has been quantified using Thermal Performance Factor (TPF) and Nusselt number distribution (Nu). The increase in Nu and TPF for IOR 1:2 and 2:1 domains is higher than IOR 1:1 domains. A three-dimensional unsteady state investigation at Re=300 is also performed for IOR 1:2 with Lbyp=−7 to understand the convection of 3D vortices in the span-wise direction and its influence on heat transfer. From the 3D study, it is concluded that though the vortex shedding in the streamwise direction is similar to the 2D case, the spatial arrangement of 3D vortices along the span-wise direction is irregular at any given instant, which results in variable temperature and Nu distribution in the domain.