Reynolds Number Range Research Articles

Vortex-induced rotation of a square cylinder under the influence of Reynolds number and density ratio

Numerical simulations are carried out on the vortex-induced rotations of a freely rotatable rigid square cylinder in a two-dimensional uniform cross-flow. A range of Reynolds numbers between 40 and 150 and density ratios between 0.1 and 10 are considered. Results show eight different characteristic regimes, expanding the classification of Ryu & Iaccarino (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 813, 2017, pp. 482–507). New regimes include the transition and wavy rotation regimes; in the ${\rm \pi}$ -limited oscillation regime we observe multipeak subregimes. Moment-generating mechanisms of these regimes and subregimes are further elucidated. A phenomenon related to the influence of density ratio is the tooth-like shape of the ${\rm \pi} /2$ -limit oscillation regime observed in the regime map, which is explained as a result of the imbalance relation between the main frequencies of rotation response and the vortex shedding frequency. In addition, existence of multiple regimes and multistable states are discussed, indicating multiple stable attractive structures in phase space.

Influence of the twisting and nano fluids on performance of a triangular double tube heat exchanger

Abstract The hydraulic and thermals performance of flow in a double-tube heat exchanger with an inner twisted triangle tube of length L = 1 m has been studied numerically. Equations for energy, turbulence, and Navier–Stokes were used to model the fluid flow and heat transfer in a double-tube heat exchanger with an inner twisted triangle tube. The Reynolds number range was 5000–30,000 for nanofluid (water-Al2O3) as a working fluid under a turbulent flow regime. The considered configuration was examined by varying the volume concentration of nanofluid while keeping the twist ratio constant (Tr = 5). Different cases of volume concentration of nanofluid are triggered (0.05 %, 1 %, 2.5 %, and 4 %, respectively). The numerical outcomes of a double-twisted tube heat exchanger with an inner triangle-twisted tube are validated with the obtainable numerical data. The governing equations were solved with ANSYS Fluent 18.2. The findings reveal that the larger volume concentration of nanofluid (4 %) gives a greater Nusselt number and vice versa due to the increased thermal conductivity of the nanofluid in the double twist tube heat exchanger compared with a plain tube. However, the nanofluid Nusselt number grows with the rise of both the Reynolds number and volume concentration (Ø), and the best value of the Nusselt number is 210 when Reynolds number = 30,000 and Ø = 4 %. The effectiveness of the heat exchanger grows with an increase in the concentration of the nanofluid and a reduction in the torsion ratio compared to the normal tube. The effectiveness of the double-tube heat exchanger with an inner twist triangle tube increases to the highest value of 0.38 at Reynolds 30,000 and Ø = 4 %.

A modified drag coefficient model for calculating the terminal settling velocity and horizontal diffusion distance of irregular plume particles in deep-sea mining.

Deep-sea mining inevitably produces plumes, which will pose a serious threat to the marine environment with the continuous movement and diffusion of plumes along with ocean currents. The terminal settling velocity (wt) of irregular particles is one of the crucial factors for determining the plumes' diffusion range. It is generally calculated by drag coefficient (CD), while most existing CD models only consider single shape characteristic parameter or have a smaller range of Reynolds number (Re). In this study, a new shape factor (γ) of irregular particles is proposed by considering the thickness (one-dimension), the projected area (two-dimension), and the surface area (three-dimension) of irregular particles as well as their coupling effect to establish a modified CD model for calculating the wt. A modified Gaussian plume model is proposed to predict the horizontal diffusion distance of the plume particles by considering the settling velocity and diffusion effect of irregular particles. Research results show that the wt increases nearly linearly, with a gradually decreased slope and slightly then greatly with the increasing of γ, dp (diameter) and ρp (density), respectively. The modified CD model is verified to be more valid with a wider application range (Re < 3×105) than five existing CD models by the test results. The larger the ρp or dp, the larger the wt and thus the smaller the Sh. This study could provide a theoretical basis for calculating the plume diffusion range to further study the impact of deep-sea mining on the ocean environment.

Rigorous benchmarking of an iterative IBM solver by comparison to body-fitted mesh results

This study addresses the validation challenges of Immersed Boundary Method (IBM) solvers by proposing a consistent benchmarking approach. A temporally second-order Arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE) solver implemented in OpenFOAM is verified against lid-driven cavity flow and flow past static and oscillating cylinders. It then serves as the underlying fluid flow solver for a fully implicit diffusive direct forcing IBM solver that achieves temporal second-order accuracy, verified by the static and oscillating cylinder cases. Leveraging the shared numerical framework, the IBM solver is rigorously validated against ALE using identical settings, parameters, and nearly identical grids across twenty test cases, including stationary cylinder flow (Re = 40, 100, 185), oscillating cylinder in quiescent flow (Re = 100, KC = 5), and transversely oscillating cylinders with varying amplitudes and frequencies (16 cases in total). The IBM solver demonstrates robustness (CFL up to 8) and accuracy over a wide Reynolds number range, with relative drag coefficient errors below 7% for all considered cases. Incorporating body force correction, which reduces slip errors at negligible added computational cost, drastically improves accuracy. Proper Rhie–Chow momentum interpolation, including body forces, is critical in the adopted collocated finite volume method. For unsteady problems, the computational cost is greatly reduced without compromising accuracy by using CFL≈1.5−2 with only two outer iterations. The proposed benchmarking framework can be easily used for validation of other IBM approaches and thus potentially help to advance the state of IBM.

Suggestion of Correlations to Obtain Shell and Tube Side Nusselt Numbers in Coiled Heat Exchangers

In coiled tube heat exchangers increase in curvature ratio and effective contact of shell fluid with coil surface led to better thermal characteristics. This work addresses study of thermal performance, shell and tube heat transfer coefficients (ho and hi). Also, mathematical correlations are predicted to obtain shell and tube Nusselt numbers (Nuo and Nui). In the designing of compact coiled heat exchangers consisting of straight helical coil (SHC), conical coil (CC) and spiral coil knowledge of Nuo and Nui is necessary whereas mathematical correlation to calculate Nuo considering variations in shell geometry is not found. Five heat exchangers consisting of three cone coils (angle, ϴ = 30°, 50° and 70°), spiral coil (ϴ = 0°) and SHC (ϴ = 90°) are tested. Using Wilson plot method ho and hi are obtained for wide range of tube side Reynolds numbers (Rei = 3700 - 21000). It is observed that, highest ho is obtained for ϴ = 30°CC with better thermal performance. Lowest ho is obtained for ϴ = 90°SHC. Ratio of height of shell, Hs and diameter of shell, Dso is considered in prediction of single correlation as: Nuo = 16.55.Reo0.55.Pro0.4 *(Hs/Dso)0.096. Comparison with experimental findings shows variation of 0-14%. Similarly two correlations are proposed as: Nui = 0.0512.Rei0.80.Pri0.4.CRave0.18 and Nui = 0.0365.Dei0.815.Pri0.4.CRave-0.3. A fair agreement is found with existing researchers.

Vortex shedding behind porous flat plates normal to the flow

This work examines the influence of body porosity on the wake past nominally two-dimensional rectangular plates of fixed width $D$ in the moderate range of Reynolds numbers $Re = UD/\nu$ (with $U$ the incoming velocity and $\nu$ the kinematic viscosity) between 15 000 and 70 000. With porosity $\beta$ defined as the ratio of open to total area of the plate, it is well established that as porosity increases, the wake shifts from the periodic von Kármán shedding behaviour to a regime where this vortex shedding is absent. This change impacts the fluid forces acting on the plate, especially the drag, which is significantly lower for a wake without vortex shedding. We analyse experimentally the transition between these two regimes using hot-wire anemometry, particle-image velocimetry and force measurements. Coherence and phase measurements are used to determine the existence of regular, periodic vortex shedding based on the velocity fluctuations in the two main shear layers on either side of the wake. Results show that, independent of $Re$ , the wake exhibits the classical Kármán vortex shedding pattern for $\beta &lt;0.2$ but this is absent for $\beta &gt;0.3$ . In the intermediate range, $0.2&lt;\beta &lt;0.3$ , there is a transitional regime that has not previously been identified; it is characterised by intermittent shedding. The flow alternates randomly between a vortex shedding and a non-shedding pattern and the total proportion of time during which vortex shedding is observed (the intermittency) decreases with increasing porosity.

Experimental studies on the effect of Al2O3 + water nanofluid concentrations on dimensionless heat transfer parameters in a cleanroom air handling unit

Nanofluid, a colloidal suspension of nonmetallic or metallic nanoparticles into conventional base fluid and used for heat transfer characteristics enhancement for many industrial applications. Cleanrooms are essential at various industries for controlling airborne contamination and environmental parameters. In this article, heat transfer properties of nanofluid (Al2O3 + water) at various nanoparticle concentrations (1%, 2%, and 3%) on a prototype cleanroom air handling chiller unit was investigated experimentally in laminar flow zone. Thermal conductivity ratio, Nusselt number, Peclet number, and pressure drop were obtained for above nanoparticle concentrations. Experimental investigations indicate the heat transfer properties improvement in a prototype cleanroom air handling chiller unit by using nanoparticle at base fluid. Experimental investigation on varying Al2O3 + water nanofluid concentrations in a cleanroom air handling chiller unit heat exchanger revealed a notable increase in heat transfer by reducing nanoparticle size from 50 to 10 nm and increasing concentration from 1% to 3% volume, resulting in a 17.70% rise in thermal conductivity ratio and a significant 9.23% increase in Nusselt number at higher Peclet numbers. However, this improvement in heat transfer was accompanied by a substantial 72.5% increase in pressure drops, particularly with increased Reynolds number and particle concentration. Manipulating nanoparticle characteristics resulted in substantial improvements in Nusselt number across a wide range of Reynolds numbers, with smaller particle sizes and higher volume concentrations yielding more significant heat transfer improvements. The novelty of this research lies in its investigation of the influence of variable Al2O3 + water nanofluid concentrations, encompassing different nanoparticle sizes, and volume concentrations, on dimensionless heat transfer parameters within a cleanroom air handling unit, offering valuable insights into optimizing heat transfer efficiency in a controlled and critical environment, addressing a significant research gap in the field.

Multi-objective optimization of expansion-contraction micromixer using response surface methodology: A comprehensive study

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the optimization of micromixers, highlighting their critical role in improving the effectiveness of chemical reactions and fluid mixing processes at a small scale. Employing OpenFOAM, we optimized the geometry of a micromixer comprised of multiple expansion-contraction segments across a Reynolds number range from 0.1 to 100. We established three design variables, P1, P2, and P3, to modify the geometry of each contraction-expansion segment to maximize the overall performance of the micromixer. Our experimental design utilized the optimal space-filling method, followed by the application of the genetic aggregation method to the generated sample to yield response surfaces. Two distinct optimization strategies were implemented following the verification of the response surfaces’ accuracy. The first focused on maximizing the mixing index, while the second aimed to increase the mixing index and reduce the pressure difference simultaneously. A subsequent sensitivity analysis revealed significant relationships between the design variables and objective parameters. Key findings include achieving maximum MI increases of 26.26 % and 23.06 % at Re values of 10 and 100, respectively, and the role of recirculation zones and chaotic convection in enhancing mixing, especially at Re = 100. Furthermore, a comparative analysis with other micromixer optimization studies demonstrated the superiority of the present study, particularly in reducing pressure difference, thereby enhancing overall mixer performance.

A flow-reconstruction based approach for the computation of hydrodynamic stresses on immersed body surface

This study focuses on obtaining reliable hydrodynamic stresses on the surface of rigid bodies in the simulation of fluid-solid interactions using the diffuse-interface immersed boundary method (IBM). In order to obtain the pressure and velocity gradient information on the immersed boundary, we employ a model to reconstruct the near-boundary fluid flow along the surface normal direction. Different from most existing flow reconstruction models in diffuse-interface IBMs based on the boundary layer approximation, we propose a new reconstruction model relying only on the non-slip velocity and local flow information. With this improvement, the present reconstruction model is theoretically applicable to fluid flows with intermediate Reynolds numbers (with the existence of a laminar boundary layer) and low Reynolds numbers (in the absence of a boundary layer). To examine the validity of the present reconstruction model, we conduct a series of simulations, including the uniform flow past a fixed body and the settling of a rigid body in a quiescent fluid. It is demonstrated that the present reconstruction model has a better performance than existing models in predicting hydrodynamic stresses on the immersed boundary within a wide range of Reynolds numbers from O(1) to O(100). The capability and robustness of the proposed model demonstrate its potential to address fluid-solid interaction problems with a-priori unknown or time-varying Reynolds numbers, such as fully resolved simulations of particle laden flows.

Micro-PIV study on the influence of viscosity on the dynamics of droplet impact onto a thin film

This work presents a systematic experimental study of droplet impact onto a wet substrate. Four different silicone oils are used, covering a range of Reynolds number between 116<Re<1106\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$116< \ ext{Re} <1106$$\\end{document} at two different initial wall film heights. The objective is to characterize the temporal and radial evolution of the velocity field within the crown crater by means of micro-PIV. Our findings show that the velocity field has the structure of an axisymmetric stagnation point flow with decaying strength a(t). The latter exhibits an exponential decay and can be explained in terms of the exponential decay of the pressure force exerted by the impacting droplet onto the wall film. In this context, the commonly accepted functional dependence a(t)∝t-1\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$a(t) \\propto t^{-1}$$\\end{document} represents only the first-order Taylor approximation of the exponential decay and has therefore only a limited temporal validity. The analysis also corroborates the existence of an inertial regime concerning the velocity field for Re>270\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$${\ ext{Re}} > 270$$\\end{document}. This is not observed at lower Re numbers due to the increased pressure losses caused by the extensional (normal) strain during the radial spreading of the lamella. To validate these findings a holistic approach is chosen, which combines numerical results, analytical solutions and experimental data from literature. In particular, by using the continuity equation, it is shown that the experimental decay of the wall film height can be reconstructed from the velocity measurements. Consilience of results from different approaches provides a robust validation of the micro-PIV data obtained in this work.Graphical abstract

Direct Numerical Simulation of Mixed Convection Flow in Lid-Driven Cavities

The mixed convection of heat transfer and fluid flow in a - lid drivencubical cavity filled with air is investigated numerically in this study. The computational procedure is based on the finite volume method and a full multigrid acceleration solver. The top wall of the cavity is maintained at a constant high temperature - Th, and it can move with a constant velocity U0. The bottom wall is immobile and maintained at a cold temperature Tc. While, the remaining boundary parts of the cavity are motionless and kept thermally insulated. Several numerical simulations were conducted to investigate mixed convection heat transfer in a sliding cubical cavity for a range of Reynolds numbers from 1000 to 5000 and Richardson numbers from 0.001 to 10. The influence of mixed convection parameters, Reynolds number, Richardson number, and heat transfer rate on the flow behavior was analyzed through parametric studies. The results include flow and heat transfer characteristics, iso-surfaces, and streamlines for the entire range of Richardson numbers and Reynolds numbers investigated. The study shows that as Reynolds number is increased beyond a critical value, the flow becomes unstable and bifurcates.

CFD approach to analyze entropy generation, heat transfer of perforated conical ring turbulators embedded in heat exchanger with biological ternary hybrid nanofluid

Perforated conical rings greatly enhance heat transfer by causing flow disruption and increasing fluid mixing. With minimal impact on friction loss, it improves heat transfer by breaking the thermal boundary layer. In this work, entropy generation, overall performance of cylindrical pipe heat exchanger equipped with perforated conical rings are numerically calculated. Shape of the holes is oval and the number of hole are 4. Ternary hybrid nanofluid is the working fluid (coolant). The combination of graphene, Cu and Al2O3 nanomaterials are considered with water as a base fluid. A particular range of Reynolds number is taken into account (5000 − 9000). 50% increase in Nusselt number is noted for using higher volume fraction (0.5%) of ternary hybrid nanofluid. Thermal performance of heat exchanger is increased more than 50%. Entropy generation is higher by using the perforated conical rings. Thermal- hydraulic performance evaluation criteria (THPEC), i.e. ration between Nusselt number and friction factor decreases with increasing Reynolds number which is a promising result. The differences in THPEC of cylindrical tube with and without perforated conical ring (PCR) are highlighted.

Prediction of Conveying Resistance for a Novel Hydraulic-mechanical Hybrid Vertical Lifting System

Objective: Recently a novel hydraulic-mechanical hybrid vertical lifting system was proposed for deep-sea mining. Accurate prediction of conveying resistance is important for the engineering design of the system. Plug flow of coarse particles is the main flow regime in the system. So far rare attention has been paid to the pressure drop prediction of plug flow of coarse particles. This paper aims to investigate eight theoretical pressure drop models on the applicability to predict the pressure drop of plug flow. Methods: Eight theoretical pressure drop models were studied. In addition, a hydraulic-mechanical hybrid vertical lifting test setup was developed. The novelty of this experimental work is that plug flow of coarse particles is formed and the lifting force of the plug can be measured with the test setup. Tests were conducted with varying particle sizes, lifting speeds and plug weights. The particle size is varied among 13, 18, and 25mm. The lifting speed is varied from 0.02m/s to 0.1m/s. The plug weight varies from 5 to 10kg. The range of Reynolds number for the tested particles is between 208 and 2,000. Results: Prediction errors of eight pressure drop models are derived and compared with the experimental data collected during this study. It was found that similar prediction trends are observed for all pressure drop models under most test conditions. Except the Rose model, all models produce average prediction errors less than 15%. The average prediction error for the Rose model is 20.59%. The average prediction error for the Ergun model is 12.43%. Conclusion: From this study it can be seen that the Ergun model produces the smallest prediction error among the eight selected pressure drop models for the given experimental conditions. Therefore, the Ergun model is considered to be most applicable for the calculation of the conveying resistance for the proposed vertical lifting system.

Effect of variation in heights of cylindrical pinfins on the thermo-hydraulic performance of an open-microchannel heat sink

This article investigates the impact of different heights of cylindrical micropillars on the thermo-fluid properties of an open microchannel heat sink. The dimensions of the microchannel considered in this study are 0.1 mm × 0.2 mm × 10 mm. Computational fluid dynamics has been employed to simulate seven distinct microchannel layouts. These configurations are Case 1 (Closedmicrochannel with full height pinfins), Case 2 (Openmicrochannel with reduced height pinfins), Case 3 (Openmicrochannel with half height pinfins), Case 4 (Open microchannel with reduced height pinfins at upstream and half height pinfins at downstream), Case 5 (Open microchannel with reduced height pinfins at upstream and half height pinfins at downstream). Case 6 (Open microchannel with two half-height pinfins at upstream and downstream regions, respectively). Case 7 (Open microchannel with two reduced height pinfins at upstream and downstream regions, respectively). Nusselt number, pressure drop, and overall thermal performance of all the considered open configurations of microchannels are evaluated and compared with the plain and closed microchannel for the range of Reynolds number between 150 and 350 by considering water as a working fluid. The results depict that the maximum augmentation in the Nusselt number is about 16.8% achieved by the open microchannel heatsink (Case 2) corresponding to the closed microchannel (Case 1) with a reduction in pressure drop of about 7.32%. To evaluate the mutual effect of heat transfer and pressure drop, overall thermal performance is evaluated. At a lower Reynolds number, the highest performance is associated with Case 2 but at the elevated range of Reynolds number, the maximum performance is acquired by Case 4.

A comprehensive analysis of the ‘coming and going’ phenomenon of the projectile motion of a sphere under air resistance

We have analyzed the ‘coming and going’ phenomenon of the projectile motion of a sphere using experimental data correlations that span the entire range of Reynolds numbers. We have modeled the drag force using an analytical expression for the drag coefficient and performed a numerical analysis to compute the critical angle as a function of the sphere’s initial speed, radius, and mass. Our results indicate that the critical angle behaves analogously to the drag coefficient as a function of the Reynolds number. This study is significant as it deals with a drag force not limited to any specific flow regime and may help undergraduate students and science instructors delve deeper into the subject.

Fluid–structure–surface interaction of a flexibly mounted pitching and plunging flat plate in proximity to the free surface

This experimental study investigates the fluid–structure–surface interactions of a flexibly mounted rigid plate in axial flow, focusing on flow-induced vibration (FIV) response and vortex dynamics of the system within a reduced velocity range of $U^*=0.29\unicode{x2013}8.73$ , corresponding to a Reynolds number range of $Re=518\unicode{x2013}15\,331$ . The plate, with one and two degrees of freedom (DoFs) for pitching and plunging oscillations, is examined at various submerged heights near the free surface. Results show that the plate exhibits divergence instability at low reduced velocities in both 1DoF and 2DoF systems. As the flow velocity surpasses a critical reduced velocity, periodic limit-cycle oscillations (LCOs) occur, increasing in amplitude until a second critical reduced velocity is reached. Beyond this point, LCOs are suppressed, and the plate experiences an increased static divergence angle with further flow velocity increase. The proximity to the free surface significantly influences the FIV response, with decreasing submerged heights leading to reduced LCO amplitudes and a shift of instabilities to higher reduced velocities. Vortex dynamics are analysed using time-resolved volumetric particle tracking velocimetry and hydrogen bubble flow visualisation. The analysis reveals disruptions in the symmetric flow field near the free surface, causing elongation and fragmentation of vortices in the wake of the plate, as well as vortex coupling. Proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) identifies dominant coherent structures, including leading-edge and trailing-edge vortices, captured in the first and second paired modes. On the other hand, higher POD modes capture the interaction of vortices in the wake and near the free surface.

Numerical simulation and modelling of the drag, lift, and pitching torque acting on cylindrical disc particles

This paper aims to improve existing models for drag, lift, and pitching torque coefficients of cylindrical disc particles with a wider range of aspect ratios and particle Reynolds numbers. The full body-fitted direct numerical simulations (DNS) are carried out for three-dimensional flow past cylindrical discs in order to quantify the coefficients at aspect ratios from 0.2 to 0.6, incidence angles from 0°to 90°, and Reynolds numbers from 0.1 to 300. The CFD results are validated against the aerodynamic coefficients of both spherical and non-spherical particles presented in the literature. A full set of new correlations for the coefficients, dependent on aspect ratio, incidence angle, and Reynolds number, is further derived according to the CFD predicted data. The results show that the new correlations have a promising performance for the disc particles considered in this study.

Entrainment and mixing of unsteady gravity currents in compound channels

Compound channels are a common hydraulic section of many alluvial and fluvial systems, serving as conduits for the flow of water and sediment. The proper design of these structures requires an understanding of the entrainment and mixing mechanisms in them. This paper presents a three-dimensional numerical study of lock-exchange flow in a compound channel covering the Reynolds numbers (Re) range of 17[Formula: see text]000–39[Formula: see text]000. This study investigates flow structures and mixing patterns for various geometries and flow characteristics. The results show that the entrainment coefficient decreases as the dense flow progresses, and the amplitude of instantaneous mixing fluctuations decreases with an increase in the width of the floodplain and reduced gravity. The averaged flux entrainment profiles show a minimum at [Formula: see text] at different times in the front area. In the head area also, a downward concavity can be seen in the profiles around [Formula: see text]. This study also reveals that changes in floodplain height do not affect the establishment of lobe-and-cleft instability. The wider the floodplain channel, the larger the lobe-and-cleft instability created. Small-scale mixing dominates at high Reynolds numbers, leading to higher fluid mixing.

Temperature uniformity analysis and multi-objective optimization of the microchannel heat sink with cavities under longitudinal vortex flow

With the development of electronic devices toward a more centralized direction, there is an urgent need to introduce new technologies in the microchannel heat sink to address thermal deformation or failure caused by uneven temperature distribution. Therefore, microchannels with longitudinal vortex generators (LVGs) and different shapes of cavity structures combination are designed innovatively to address this issue. The laminar flow solver solves for single-phase, steady, and fully developed liquid flows through microchannels in the inlet Reynolds number range of 168–793. Study finds that the longitudinal vortex flow not only mixes the fluid in the mainstream region but also effectively weakens the retention effect in the cavities. Among all microchannels, the microchannel with LVGs and triangular cavities combination (MC-LTC) shows the best performance. Subsequently, multi-objective optimization of the MC-LTC is carried out using Non-dominated Sorting Genetic II Algorithm with the pumping power (Pp) and the temperature uniformity factor (E) as objective functions, and the relative heights (α, β, γ) of the three pairs of LVGs as the three design variables. The optimal solutions set for Pp and E range from 0.706 mW to 1.018 mW and 0.547 to 0.716, respectively. Among the five selected Pareto optimal solution parameters, MC-LTC (α = 0.6001, β = 1.3528, γ = 1.3707) and MC-LTC (α = 0.6001, β = 1.0725, γ = 1.3017) show the best temperature uniformity performance.

Comparison of Refractive Index Matching Techniques and PLIF40 Measurements in Annular Flow.

This paper investigates non-invasive techniques for annular two-phase flow analysis, focusing on liquid film characterization to understand the interfacial phenomena that are crucial for heat and mass transfer. Limited methods allow the study of the temporal and spatial evolution of liquid film, such as Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (PLIF). However, this method possesses optical challenges, leading to the need for improved techniques to mitigate refraction and reflection, such as Refractive Index Matching (RIM). This study utilizes an experimental annular flow facility to analyze both RIM and non-RIM PLIF over a range of liquid Reynolds numbers from 4200 to 10,400. Three configurations-PLIF RIM90, PLIF RIM40, and PLIF nRIM40-are compared from both qualitative and quantitative perspectives. In the quantitative analysis, key variables of the liquid film are measured, namely mean film thickness, disturbance wave height, and frequency. Variations in the analyzed variables indicate minor deviations, which are not likely to be caused by the technique used. However, all three methodologies exhibited errors that are estimated to be within a maximum of 10%, with a mean value of approximately 8%.