The computation of convective heat transfer in rotating cavities

Abstract

In this paper, numerical solutions of the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are presented for convective heat transfer inside axisymmetric rotating disc cavities. The study involves the examination of three different disc-cavity configurations and the use of four different mathematical models of turbulence. The three configurations are a rotating cavity with flow entering axially at the center and leaving radially through the outer shroud, a rotating cavity with central axial throughflow, and a rotor-stator system with axial flow injection through the stator center and outflow through the annulus formed between the rotor disc and the outer shroud. Of the four turbulence models, three are based on the zonal modeling approach with the k- ε model in the main flow region and alternative low-Reynolds number treatments across the near-wall regions. These near-wall alternatives consist of two versions of the mixing-length hypothesis and a one-equation k-transport model. The fourth turbulence model is the mixing-length hypothesis applied over the entire cavity. Comparisons with available heat transfer measurements show that none of the models is successful in all cases examined. Considering overall performance, the k- ε model with the one-equation near-wall treatment is preferred.