Computational Fluid Dynamics Code FLUENT Research Articles

Enhancing performance in solar air channels: A numerical analysis of turbulent flow and heat transfer with novel shaped baffles

Solar air heaters are emerging as a promising solution for sustainable heating, as they harness abundant solar energy to provide heat for a variety of applications. However, their optimum efficiency remains a major challenge. Deflectors have significant potential to improve the performance of solar air heaters by redirecting airflow and optimizing heat transfer, making them more efficient and more suitable for large-scale adoption. This article examines the performance of a new baffle design aimed at improving heat transfer in the channel by increasing the exchange surface between fluid and solid surface. It consists of a “≠” -shaped baffle mounted on the top and bottom walls of the channel. An in-depth analysis of the spacing between these baffles was carried out to assess their impact on the thermal and aerodynamic properties of the solar air channel. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) was used to perform the calculations, using the Finite Volume Method (FVM) in conjunction with the SIMPLE algorithm. All studies are carried out using the CFD code Fluent. Crucial steps in this research include studying the influence of these new baffles at different Reynolds numbers, ranging from 15000 to 35000, as well as varying the separation distance between the two baffles, chosen periodically (DBaffle/2, 3DBaffle/4, DBaffle, 5DBaffle/4 and 3DBaffle/2). Some of the numerical results were validated with the available experimental data and showed satisfactory agreement. The study identified an optimal case for the new baffles, by reducing the distance between the baffles, an improvement in system performance was observed, by increasing the flow strength and widening the recycling cells, which has an impact on dynamic behavior and heat transfer. The presence of this new baffle design, with minimal separation distance between them, demonstrated a significant thermal improvement, with a thermal improvement factor increasing by 44% compared to the simple channel without baffles, thus highlighting the effectiveness of the new solar air channel with “≠” -shaped baffles.

A Review of Numerical Simulation and Analytical Calculation Methods for the Study of Flow over a Wedge

Abstract: The study of flow over a wedge holds immense significance in diverse domains, encompassing aerodynamics and heat transfer applications. This research paper presents a comprehensive investigation of essential flow parameters, including pressure, temperature, velocity, and shock wave characteristics. Moreover, it offers a comparative analysis between analytical and numerical approaches for studying flow over a wedge. Theoretical analyses involve calculating vital parameters like pressure ratio and temperature ratio using 1-D inviscid compressible flow equations coupled with conservation laws for energy, mass, and momentum. On the other hand, the numerical investigation employs Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques, specifically the ANSYS Fluent CFD Code, to calculate a wide range of parameters and visualise the flow characteristics for the wedge geometry. In contrast, the ANSYS Fluent simulation employs 2-D inviscid compressible equations to conduct a detailed study of flow behaviour past the wedge geometry. Throughout the paper, the key flow parameters are meticulously analysed, taking into account both analytical and numerical results.

Numerical and experimental analysis of the effects of tar components on single planar SOFC under high fuel utilization

One of the main challenges and obstacles for the application of SOFCs with wood gas is the degradation of Nickel anode caused by heavier hydrocarbons from the gasification process. The unclear conversion process on the anode and the fluctuant content of tars in wood gas will cause problems like the excess of critical fuel cell utilization and thus the oxidation of Nickel anode. This work focuses on the experimental and numerical analysis of tar conversion on the single SOFC under different conditions. A three-dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model for an electrolyte-supported single cell was developed using the commercial CFD code FLUENT. The conversion kinetics of tar is validated by experimental results and implemented into the model. With this model, local distributions of Nernst voltage across the anode area are demonstrated. Areas, where an oxidation of Nickel is to be feared, are identified. Both experimental and simulative results have proved the positive effect of toluene reforming on preventing Ni from re-oxidation.

Numerical Simulation of Wall Condensation from a Superheated Steam and Air Mixture in a Vertical Pipe

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of superheat on wall condensation from a steam and air mixture. We previously measured the radial and axial temperature profiles of a superheated steam-air mixture in a vertical pipe with a diameter of 49.5 mm and a cooling height of 610 mm. In this study, we carried out a numerical simulation for the previous measurements by using the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT, and evaluated the profiles of the mixture temperature Tg and steam mass fraction Xs. The profiles of Tg and the saturated temperature Ts obtained from Xs agreed well with those measured with superheated and saturated conditions, respectively. The validity of the correlation to evaluate a condensation heat flux qc (which was based on the gradient of Xs) was confirmed. Profiles of the dimensionless velocity u+, temperature T+, and steam mass fraction Ys + were obtained, and they were compared with wall functions (i.e., the linear function for a viscous sublayer and the logarithmic law for a turbulent layer). The computed profile agreed with the wall function for u+, agreed relatively well with the wall function for T+, and agreed well with the correlation for Ys + obtained from data measured with saturated steam-air conditions in the region of the turbulent layer.

Investigation of effects of sand particles on aerodynamic performance of NACA 0012 airfoil

The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of turbulence kinetic energy structures formed during flow and particles of different diameters and different flow velocities in the air in different regional areas on aerodynamic performance characteristics in NACA 0012. Single and two phase fluid flows were worked out by using Ansys Fluent Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code. Computational results obtained from Ansys Fluent CFD code for pure air and the air containing sand particles were compared with numerical values gained in the literature for validation. Results obtained from the numerical tests demonstrate good agreement with the value in the literature. These results indicate the turbulence kinetic energy value occurred in the tail region of the airfoil increases with the increase in the angle of attack and shifts towards the upper region of the airfoil at high attack angle. Moreover, the upper region of the airfoil at high attack angle becomes larger at low Reynolds numbers due to viscous effects. The drag and lift coefficients obtained in the numerical tests of the airfoils and in the experimental tests in the wind tunnel will differ from the values in the application area. Because, in the operation of airfoils in different regional environments, there are always particles of various concentrations and diameters in the air. In this case, the drag coefficient increases and the lift coefficient decreases.

Numerical Investigation of the Use of Boron Nitride/Water and Conventional Nanofluids in a Microchannel Heat Sink

The purpose of this paper is to study the effects of the use of boron nitride (BN) and other conventional nanoparticles (Al2O3, CuO and TiO2) on pressure drop and heat transfer in a microchannel. The governing equations for forced fluid flow and heat transfer were worked out by using fluent computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code. Computational results collected from fluent CFD code for Al2O3 as the nano-particle were compared with numerical values used in the literature for validation. The basis of a water-cooled (pure water, Al2O3/Water, CuO/Water, TiO2/Water and BN/Water) smooth microchannel was outlined, and then the corresponding laminar flow and heat transfer were evaluated numerically. The results from the numerical tests (NT) express good agreement with the values found in the literature. These results also indicate, through the comparison which was performed by taking the heat transfer and pressure loss parameters between BN and other widely used conventional nanoparticles (Al2O3, CuO and TiO2) into consideration, that BN is the more favorable nanoparticle. In comparison to other common nanoparticles (Al2O3, CuO and TiO2), BN enhances heat transfer and slightly raised pressure losses owing to its high thermal conductivity and high velocity profile because of low density. It is also chemically stable at the highest temperature relative to most solid materials. Thus, it has a structure that can be used in cooling systems for a long time without causing a problem of agglomeration.

Phenol degradation of waste and stormwater on a flat plate photocatalytic reactor with TiO2 on glass slide: An experimental and modelling investigation

Heterogeneous photocatalytic oxidation process using TiO2 (titanium dioxide) and UV light is a promising method to degrade a wide variety of recalcitrant organic substances such as phenol, pesticides, herbicides, etc. from waste and stormwater. Due to lack of suitable computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, the industrial-scale application of this technique poses a few challenges indicating the need to clearly understand the hydrodynamic behaviour of the photocatalytic system and investigate the ways of improving their performance. Inadequate mixing and turbulence in a fixed photocatalytic reactor limit the performance of the reactor in terms of pollutant mass transport to the catalyst surface and pollutant degradation. In this study, a 3D flat plate photocatalytic reactor was designed and developed, and numerically analysed using CFD code FLUENT to investigate the performance of the reactor. The CFD modelling results were validated against the experimental data at various flow conditions. The CFD results including velocity and phenol concentration was found in strong agreement with the experimental results with R2 value of 0.998. The experimental results shows that the phenol degradation was 85.5% when the irradiation was 70.6 Wm−2 and initial concentration of phenol was 20 PPM The experimental results also show that the phenol degradation increases with the increase of irradiation but decreases with the increase of initial concentration. The results show that phenol degradation of the reactor decreases with the increase in flow rate as expected. The CFD model can accurately predict the velocity and the concentration of phenol at different flow rates.

Development and Processing of Thermal-Hydraulic Model for GFR 2400 Fast Reactor Design and NESTLE Coupled Transient Code

Abstract The paper investigates the influence of the used thermal-hydraulic approximations on the coupled calculations of gas-cooled fast reactor design (hereby GFR 2400). The NESTLE code is used as coupled simulation tool and solves the multigroup neutron diffusion equation by the finite difference method that is internally coupled with a thermal-hydraulic subchannel code. The in-house developed tempin code and the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code fluent (from ANSYS code system, Canonsburg, PA) are used to prepare the thermal-hydraulic data for the GFR 2400 calculations. The tempin code solves the steady-state heat balance equation with flowing coolant in triangular lattice cell together with temperature dependent thermal-hydraulic properties of the fuel, cladding, and coolant. Based on the calculated fuel bundle temperature distributions by the tempin code, the thermal-hydraulic material properties (approximations) suitable for the NESTLE coupled code are processed for the GFR 2400 design. The influence of the constant and radial heat generation term within the fuel pin is studied within the paper. The performance of the NESTLE code with thermal-hydraulic approximations processed by both (tempin and fluent) methods is compared with the findings of the GoFastR project. Moreover, both the thermal-hydraulic approximations were compared for one steady-state and one transient state, related to the rapid withdrawal of one control rod assembly from the core. Changes in thermal-hydraulic distributions are described and visualized in the paper.

Low Speed Aerodynamic Analysis of the N2A Hybrid Wing–Body

Reduction of atmospheric emissions is currently a mandatory requirement for aircraft manufacturers. Several studies performed on Blended Wing–Body configurations showed a promising capability of reducing fuel consumption by increasing, at the same time, passengers’ transport capabilities. Although several aerodynamic studies are available at transonic speeds, low-speed evaluations of aerodynamic performances of Blended Wing Body aircrafts are less investigated. In this framework, the present paper deals with the aerodynamic performance of the N2A aircraft prototype at low-Mach number conditions. Aircraft longitudinal aerodynamics is addressed at M∞=0.2 with steady state three-dimensional RANS simulations carried out at two Reynolds numbers equal to 6.60×106 and 1.27×108, respectively. The former refers to an experimental test campaign performed at NASA Langley 14-by-22 foot subsonic tunnel, while the latter is related to free-flight conditions close to an approach and landing phase. Flowfield simulations are performed using the Computational Fluid Dynamic code FLUENT and the SU2 open-source code, currently adopted for research applications. Numerical solutions are validated by using available experimental data with reference to lift, drag, pitching moment and drag polar estimations. Pre-stall and post-stall aerodynamic behaviour through mean flow-field visualization along with the comparison of pressure distributions at several AoAs is addressed. Furthermore, the effect of convective discretization on a numerical solution for SU2 is discussed. Results indicate a good agreement with available experimental predictions. The present study aims to bridge existing computations at a Eulerian low-Mach number, with RANS computations and constitutes a further test-case for SU2 code with respect to a full aircraft configuration.

SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION ANALYSIS AND DOSE ASSESSMENT OF THE RADON EMITTED FROM THE MONAZITE-CONTAINING MATTRESS IN GENERAL RESIDENTIAL SPACE BY CFD METHODS.

Recently, mattresses produced from radon-emitting monazite raw materials in the manufacturing process were found to be releasing radon, and a survey by the Korean Nuclear Safety and Security Commission indicated that some of these products exceeded safety standards. In this study, the distribution of the radon resulting from radon-emitting mattresses was evaluated. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT was used to analyze the distribution of radon in a general living space, and to assess the exposures of residents. Drawings from the Korea Land and Housing Corporation were analyzed to determine the layout and geometry of the general residential space. Based on the results of the CFD simulation, the distribution of radon in the general residential space was analyzed based on the direction of ventilation and distance from the source. The dose was evaluated to analyze the radiological safety, and was determined to be less than 0.101mSv per year. These results were in accordance with the reference level of 10mSv from the International Commission on Radiological Protection recommendation and the annual dose limit of 1mSv per year for processed products in South Korea.

Numerical investigation of effect of different parameter on heat transfer for a crossflow heat exchanger by using nanofluids

The heat loads on electronic systems of an unmanned air vehicle are a significant problem. So enhancing heat transfer is a critical key to solve these thermal problems. This study is focused on increasing heat transfer rate in a crossflow heat exchanger by using nanofluids numerically. Effects of different Reynolds number of hot fluid (Re= 6000, 8000, 10000, 12000), different inlet velocity (Vair,inlet=30, 45, 60, 90 m/s) of cooling fluid, temperature of cooling air at different altitude (Tair,inlet=15, 10, 4, -17℃) and different types of nanofluids (Cu-H2O, CuO-H2O, TiO2-H2O, H2O) on heat transfer were studied numerically. Realizable k-ε turbulence model of ANSYS FLUENT computational fluid dynamics code was used for numerical analysis. It was obtained that increasing Reynolds number from Re=6000 to 12000 causes an increase of 44.65% on average Nusselt Number. Increasing inlet velocity of cooling air from 30 m/s to 90 m/s causes an increase of 6.96% on average Nusselt number. Increasing or decreasing air inlet temperature at different attitude does not cause any significant change on average Nusselt number. Using Cu-H2O nanofluid, which shows the best performance, causes an increase of 6.63% on average Nusselt number according H2O. Numerical results were also compared with experimental results at literature. It was obtained that numerical model can represent experimental results in a good level.

Numerical research on the influence of sail leading edge shapes on the hydrodynamic noise of a submarine

As a protruding part of submarine surfaces, sails will produce large hydrodynamic noise under the impact of water flow. To reduce the noise generated by the sail, the effects of different sail leading edges on the submarine flow field and hydrodynamic noise are investigated. Combining the WMLES S-Omega turbulence model and the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings equation, the flow field and hydrodynamic noise of submarines are numerically simulated. The simulation results are compared with the experimental data. Good comparative results reveal the accuracy and performance of the employed numerical method. Subsequently, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code Fluent is used to simulate the variations in the flow field and hydrodynamic noise with different sails. The results show that the hydrodynamic noise of submarines can be effectively suppressed by changing the leading edge of the sail, and the sound pressure level can be dropped by 4.69 dB.

Thrust Characteristics of Ducted Propeller and Hydrodynamics of an Underwater Vehicle in Control Motions

A numerical technique to simulate the hydrodynamic behavior of ducted propellers attached to an underwater vehicle traveling under the mutually interacting flow fields of the vehicle and the propellers is proposed; the hydrodynamic performance of the propellers and the hydrodynamic loading on the main body of the vehicle when it is in different kinds of motion is investigated numerically. In the research, 3D geometric models of the duct, propeller, and main body of the vehicle are first constructed according to their geometrical features. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) technique based on the hybrid algorithm of dynamic mesh-nested sliding mesh is applied to solve the Navier–Stokes equations that govern the fluid motion around the duct, propeller, and main body of the vehicle when it is in motion. These equations are solved numerically with the CFD code Fluent. With the proposed numerical simulation technique, the hydrodynamic characteristics of the thrusts generated by the ducted propellers and the loading on the main body in the vehicle system under the mutually interacting flow fields are observed. The results of our numerical simulation indicate that the hybrid algorithm of dynamic mesh-nested sliding mesh can simulate multiple degrees of freedom of motion in underwater vehicle systems. In different motion states, the main body exerts a significant influence on the investigated flow fields; during the vehicle motions, negative wakes are formed on both sides of the main body, which lead to a decrease in the thrusts generated by the propellers on both sides. The thrust of the middle propeller is greater than that of the normal single one because of the obstructing effect in the tunnel caused by the main body.

Numerical research on the high-speed water entry trajectories of AUVs with asymmetric nose shapes

During the water entry process, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) take a long time to reach a horizontal attitude. To reduce the time and distance required to adjust the attitude, an AUV with an asymmetric nose shape is proposed in this paper. A numerical model based on the volume of fluid (VOF) method is established to describe the cavity and trajectory characteristics of an AUV with a high-speed water entry. Since the velocity of the AUV impacting the water surface is greater than 0.3 Ma, the Tait equation is used to describe the compressibility effects in water, and the air phase is modelled as an ideal gas. The simulation results, such as cavitation shape and velocity, are compared with the experimental data from an earlier study. Good comparative results reveal the accuracy and performance of the employed numerical method. Subsequently, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code Fluent is used to simulate and analyse the variations in the trajectory characteristics with different water entry velocities, water entry angles, nose shapes and rudder deflection angles. The results obtained in this study can provide a good guideline for the trajectory control and nose shape design of an AUV.

CFD study on onset of liquid entrainment through ADS-4 branch line in AP1000

The consequences of liquid entrainment through the fourth stage Automatic Depressurization System (ADS-4) of Advanced Passive nuclear power reactor (AP1000) are decreased reactor core coolant inventory and increased resistance to quick depressurization of the reactor primary coolant system. Therefore, the accurate knowledge of the Onset of Liquid Entrainment (OLE) is critical to nuclear reactor safety (NRS) assessment. In this study, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of OLE were carried out using a two-fluid Eulerian model of ANSYS Fluent CFD code along with the renormalization group (RNG) κ-ε turbulence model for each phase. In OLE phenomena, the interfacial drag has a significant effect but available choices of interfacial drag coefficient in Fluent were not suitable due to the presence of droplet clusters in entrainment. Therefore, a modified interfacial drag coefficient accounting for droplet clusters was used. The transient simulations were performed with this modified CFD model and validated against ADS-4 Depressurization and Entrainment TEst Loop (ADETEL) data. The comparison between CFD calculations and experimental data shows a good agreement. Furthermore, the effects of the liquid mass flow rates and single inlet on OLE were also investigated with the validated CFD model. To improve the understanding of OLE phenomena, the liquid volume fraction and gas velocity field distributions were also studied.

Enhancing induced flow rate through a solar chimney by a forced flow

Solar chimneys absorb solar radiation for natural ventilation or cooling of buildings. In typical solar chimneys, the air flow is induced by the thermal effect which causes pressure gradient inside the chimney to deviate from that of the ambient air. The induced flow is employed to ventilate the connected building naturally. In this study, we aimed to boost the induced flow rate through a typical solar chimney by a forced flow at the inlet of the air channel which is divided into two ports for the forced and the induced flows. The air flow and heat transfer were modeled with a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model with the ANSYS Fluent CFD code. Changing factors included the forced velocity, the dimensions of the inlet port for the forced air flow and the length of the partition between the ports of the naturally induced and forced air flows. It is seen that the forced flow significantly reduces the pressure in the air channel compared to that of a typical chimney; hence increasing the induced flow rate. The flow rate was significantly enhanced as the forced velocity was above 0.2 m/s; the area of the inlet port for the forced flow was 12.4% of the total inlet area; and the partition height was less than 5.0% of the total height of the air channel. In this configuration, the forced flow can be the waste exhaust air flow from other mechanical ventilation systems of the building. Therefore, no additional energy is required for this solution.

Numerical Analysis on Solid Particle Erosion in Elbow of a Slurry Conveying Circuit

This study investigates the solid particle erosion in an elbow of a slurry conveying circuit by using a commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT. Erosion wear was predicted by using the Euler-Lagrange model applied with a turbulence scheme of standard k-ε. In the present study, the effect of various design parameters, namely radius of bend-to-pipe diameter (r/D) ratio, pipe diameter (D), bend curvature angle, and bend radius angle, was studied. The radius of the r/D ratio varied from 1.4 to 1.7. The flow velocity varied between 2 and 5 m/s and the solid concentration was kept constant, i.e., 10 vol.%. The mean size fraction of bottom ash varied from 102 to 300 μm. Numerical simulation results show that erosion rate increases with velocity, particle size, and pipe diameter. The optimum value of the r/D ratio was between 1.5 and 1.6. Lower erosion wear occurred near the entrance of the elbow and reached the maximum near 60° of the bend curvature. The particle size range of 162–230 μm was found critical for high erosion wear.

Preliminary design and analysis of Liquid Fuel Molten Salt Reactor using multi-physics code GeN-Foam

In this study, a hypothetical fast spectrum Liquid Fuel Molten Salt Reactor (LFMSR) core is modeled using the multiphysics C++ code GeN-Foam (General Nuclear Foam). GeN-Foam is based on OpenFOAM, a C++ open-source library for solution of continuum mechanics problems. The code utilizes a unified fine/coarse mesh approach, modeling different physics such as neutron kinetics, thermal-hydraulics based on porous fluid equations, and structural thermal-mechanics. A steady state analysis of a simplified two-dimensional (2D) LFMSR model has been performed assuming rotational symmetry to cross verify the code with the commercial ANSYS Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code Fluent. The calculations showed very good agreement between the two codes allowing progression to a three-dimensional (3D) model simulation. A coupled neutron kinetics and CFD steady state analysis of a right-cylindrical 3D LFMSR core has been performed modeling one quarter of the core while using symmetry boundaries to reduce the computational time. Mixed uranium and plutonium chloride fuel has been selected in this preliminary study. Both 2D and 3D simulations showed appearance of recirculation zones within the right-cylinder core. These zones can be a challenge for LFMSR control and materials. A new hyperboloid design is proposed to remove recirculation zones, which is based on eight symmetrical loops. An Unprotected Loss of Flow accident (ULOF), in which the pump head is instantaneously reduced to zero, has been selected to demonstrate the safety characteristics of the reactor in one of the most challenging possible situations for LFMSR. The obtained results (e.g., reduced total precursors concentration at the core inlet and reduction of the core nominal power following the transient) confirm that GeN-Foam is capable of performing coupled LFMSR transient analysis and can be used for design analysis and optimization. Although the current design needs further assessment and development, it shows encouraging performance under ULOF conditions paving the way to the next step in the optimization process.

Investigating the Flow Hydrodynamics in a Compound Channel with Layered Vegetated Floodplains

In natural rivers, vegetation grows on floodplains, generating complex velocity field within the compound channel. The efficient modelling of the flow hydraulics in a compound channel with vegetated floodplains is necessary to understand and determine the natural processes in rivers and streams. As the three dimensional (3D) flow features are difficult to capture through experimental investigation; therefore, the present numerical study was carried out to investigate the complex 3D flow structures with the vertically layered vegetation placed over the floodplains in a symmetric trapezoidal compound channel. The simulations were conducted using a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT, whereas a Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) technique based on Reynolds stress model (RSM) was implemented for turbulence closure. The numerical model successfully replicated the flow behavior and showed a good agreement with the experimental data. The present study concluded the presence of quite-S shaped velocity profile in the layered vegetated floodplains when the short vegetation was submerged during high flows or floods, whereas the velocity profile was uniform or almost logarithmic during low floods or when both short and tall vegetation remained emergent. The lateral exchange of mass and momentum was promoted due to the flow separation and instability along the junction of the floodplains and main channel. The flow velocities were significantly reduced in the floodplains due to resistance offered by the vegetation, which consequently resulted in an increased percentage i.e. 67-73%, of passing discharge through the main channel. In general, the spatial distribution of mean flow and turbulence characteristics was considerably affected near the floodplain and main channel interfaces. Moreover, this study indicated a positive flow response for the sediment deposition as well as for the nourishment of the aquatic organisms in the riparian environment.

A new method of acquiring perquisites of recirculation and vortex flow in sudden expansion solar water collector using vortex generator to augment heat transfer

The present study focuses on the heat transfer enhancement in sudden expansion channel (SEC) which is to be employed as solar water collector using vortex generator (VG) at different angles of attack. Expansion ratio (ER) of SEC is ascribed as 2:1. The analysis of heat transfer enhancement is carried out for various aspect ratios (AR) of ∞, 8 and 6 of SEC. The angle of attack (β) of VG is varied from 30° to 90° by an increment of 15° in each case. The results of this study are compared with that of simple rectangular channel (SRC) with VG. The flow is assumed to be laminar, steady and incompressible in the Reynolds (Re) number range investigated. Finite volume based commercial computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code FLUENT 16.2 has been used for solving three dimensional governing equations. The investigation shows that VGs are very effective in SEC than in SRC in enhancing the heat transfer against pressure drop at all angles of attack. Heat transfer rate increases with increase in AR of SEC while the change in friction factor with AR of SEC is negligible except at higher angle of attack. However with increasing angle of attack of VG, friction factor is on the rise. The results reveal that the enhancement of heat transfer rate is due to the combined effect of longitudinal vortex flow and flow separation. VG at β = 30° and 60° is found to have an optimal heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics in SEC.