The Uncertainties of Continuum-Based CFD Solvers to Perform Microscale Hot-Wire Anemometer Simulations in Flow Fields Close to Transitional Regime

Abstract

In this study, we simulate the flow and heat transfer during hot-wire anemometry and investigate its thermal behavior and physics using the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) tool. In this regard, we use the finite-volume method and solve the compressible Navier-Stokes equations numerically in slightly non-continuum flow fields. We do not use any slip flow model to include the transitional flow physics in our simulations. Using the CFD method, we simulate the flow over hot–wire and evaluate the uncertainty of CFD in thermal simulation of hot-wire in low transitional flow regimes. The domain sizes and the mesh distributions are carefully chosen to avoid boundary condition error appearances. Following the past researches, we do not take into account the conduction heat transfer passing through hot-wire mounting arms in our simulations. Imposing a fixed temperature condition at the face of hot-wire, we simulate the flow over and the heat transfer from hot-wire and calculate the convection heat transfer coefficient and the local Nusselt number values. To be sure of the accuracy of our CFD code, we simulate a number of similar test cases and compare our numerical solutions with the available numerical solutions and/or experimental data.