Variation of forced convective heat transfer in rectangular duct flow of a magnetic fluid under magnetic field

Abstract

Variation of forced convective heat transfer in a rectangular duct flow of a magnetic fluid under a magnetic field was investigated experimentally. Experiments were performed changing the magnetic field intensity, and this magnetic field could be varied from 0 mT to 600 mT. The Reynolds number based on the hydraulic diameter was set to 960, 1900 (laminar flow), and 2830 (turbulent flow). The results of the experiments show that in the case of laminar flow of the magnetic fluid, when a magnetic field is applied to a magnetic fluid flow, heat transfer locally increases in the region where the magnetic field exists. In contrast, in the turbulent flow of the magnetic fluid, heat transfer is not enhanced but reduced. In order to better understand this heat transfer phenomenon, we measured the velocity distribution of magnetic fluid flow by the Ultrasonic Velocity Profile (UVP) method. In the case of laminar flow, the result shows that the flow velocity at the center of the rectangular duct decreases and the velocity gradient in the near-wall region increases. Moreover, we calculated the flow resistance under a magnetic field by measurement of the pressure gradient, and the relationship between heat transfer and flow resistance was discussed.