Thermal Turbulence Research Articles

Determining the differences in O3-NOx-VOCs sensitivity between sauna and roast days

Temperature is a key meteorological factor that affects tropospheric ozone (O3), with both humid-heat (sauna days) and dry-heat (roast days) conditions leading to O3 exceedances. However, the mechanisms influencing O3 formation and degradation under these two weather conditions remain unclear. Therefore, experiments were conducted in Beijing from 2019-2021 to observe O3, its precursors, and related meteorological elements. A total of 18 days with O3 exceedances were selected, including 10 sauna days and 8 roast days. The results of this study revealed that on roast days, the sensible heat flux was 143.5 W/m2 greater and the wind speed gradient was 0.018 s-1 greater than those on sauna days, indicating more intense thermal and dynamic turbulence. The strong turbulence enhanced the vertical cycle of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and O3, resulting in a 58.2 μg/(m2·h) increase in NO2 upward transport rate and a 1,034.4 μg/(m2·h) increase in O3 downward transport rate on roast days than sauna days. Subsequently, a box model analysis was used to examine O3 formation under the two types of weather conditions, revealing that the NO2-O3 vertical cycling speed dominated the O3 sensitivity. The O3 sensitivity was synergistically controlled by nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds on sauna days, while it tended to be NOx-limited on roast days. The aim of this study was to provide a scientific theoretical basis for the control of O3 under different types of high temperature weather conditions.

Structure and dynamics of the near-surface water layer under conditions of natural convection

A series of laboratory and numerical experiments have been performed to study the process of the surface water cooling. The process of the submergence of an ensemble of jets (a thermal-like structure) or a negative buoyancy flux was recorded using digital cameras (∼2 and 10 Hz). Quantitative estimates of the structure and dynamical features of the initial phase of the submergence of a density front of the ensemble of jets were obtained. These estimates were compared with the previous results of the study of individual thermals. It was found that the deepening velocity is characterized by the nonlinear dependence from the submergence depth in time of both the thermals and the density front of the ensemble. The numerical calculations also showed nonlinearity in this dependence. The process of submergence of the density front was divided into three stages, which were described for the first time. The deepening velocity of the density front of the ensemble of jets was ∼0.15 cm/s. The results are qualitatively consistent with the theoretical estimates of the evolution of the free convection. The observed laboratory flows have the laminar nature of convective movements (Reynolds numbers ranging from 3 to 60). A geometric model was proposed to describe linear quantity of both the thermal and jet. It was shown that the effects of turbulence on the seawater measurements were caused externally and not related to the process of the surface water cooling. Thus, it is assumed that either thermal or saline turbulence dominates over free convection conditions. This conclusion has an important role in the study of the heat exchange process in ocean models.

Environmental hazard assessment of forest fire sites to firefighting aircraft—part I: Canyon wind and temperature distribution

Wildfires have caused immense damage to the environment, property and human safety in recent years. Fortunately, the deployment of firefighting aircraft, particularly water bombers, has emerged as one of the most effective strategies for combating wildfires. However, the intricate environment of forest fire sites, characterized by thermal turbulence and canyon winds, presents a formidable flight risk for firefighting aircraft. To address this issue, this study conducted a comprehensive risk assessment of firefighting aircraft operating in a wildfire environment, analyzing the impact of thermal turbulence and canyon winds using a finite element simulation method. This approach not only bridges the research gap in the field of flight safety but also evaluates the environmental risks encountered by firefighting aircraft when entering forest fire sites. Our findings underscore thermal turbulence and canyon winds as potential hazards for aircraft flying over mountainous terrain, elucidating the effect of thermal turbulence on aircraft engine intakes and quantifying the total lift loss incurred during encounters with canyon winds featuring non-uniform airflow velocities. Specifically, thermal turbulence can induce instability and vibration in aircraft engines, whereas canyon winds can generate updrafts and downdrafts that may compromise aircraft structures or lead to lift loss. Furthermore, we cite several references to emphasize the multifaceted risks associated with the forest fire site environment, encompassing temperature gradients, thunderstorms, and air pollution. Such comprehensive wildfire data can be invaluable in assessing the flight safety of firefighting aircraft during water-dropping missions in forest fire scenarios.

Turbulent Thermal Convection At A Rough Surface

We present measurements of the near-wall velocity field in highly turbulent Rayleigh-Bénard(RB) convection with rough horizontal surfaces. The measurements have been undertaken in a large-scale RB experiment which is called "Barrel of Ilmenau". We used the technique of stereoscopic Particle Image Velocimetry to measure the three components of the velocity field in horizontal planes parallel to the heated bottom plate. The measurements reported here comprise two Rayleigh numbers Ra=8.6×10^{10} and Ra=6.3×10^{11}. The Prandtl number of the working fluid was Pr=0.7. We used a chess board-like pattern of cuboids with a base area of 30 mm by 30 mm and a height of h=12 mm. Our measurements confirm the observation from previous experiments that the relation Nu=f(Ra) remains unchanged with respect to RB convection with smooth surfaces as long as the thickness of the thermal boundary layer \delta_{th}=H/(2Nu) exceeds the height of the roughness elements h. If \delta_{th} falls below h, Nu becomes larger and grows faster with increasing Ra then it does in RB convection with smooth plates. We also could identify the valleys in between the cuboids as the main contribution for the increase of Nu

Vertical shear instability with dust evolution and consistent cooling times

Context. Gas in protoplanetary disks mostly cools via thermal accommodation with dust particles. Thermal relaxation is thus highly sensitive to the local dust size distributions and the spatial distribution of the grains. So far, the interplay between thermal relaxation and gas turbulence has not been dynamically modeled in hydrodynamic simulations of protoplanetary disks with dust. Aims. We aim to study the effects of the vertical shear instability (VSI) on the thermal relaxation times, and vice versa. We are particularly interested in the influence of the initial dust grain size on the VSI and whether the emerging turbulence is sustained over long timescales. Methods. We ran three axisymmetric hydrodynamic simulations of a protoplanetary disk including four dust fluids that initially resemble MRN size distributions of different initial grain sizes. From the local dust densities, we calculated the thermal accommodation timescale of dust and gas and used the result as the thermal relaxation time of the gas in our simulation. We included the effect of dust growth by applying the monodisperse dust growth rate and the typical growth limits. Results. We find that the emergence of the VSI is strongly dependent on the initial dust grain size. Coagulation also counteracts the emergence of hydrodynamic turbulence in our simulations, as shown by others before. Starting a simulation with larger grains (100 μm) generally leads to a less turbulent outcome. While the inner disk regions (within ∼70 au) develop turbulence in all three simulations, we find that the simulations with larger particles do not develop VSI in the outer disk. Conclusions. Our simulations with dynamically calculated thermal accommodation times based on the drifting and settling dust distribution show that the VSI, once developed in a disk, can be sustained over long timescales, even if grain growth is occurring. The VSI corrugates the dust layer and even diffuses the smaller grains into the upper atmosphere, where they can cool the gas. Whether the instability can emerge for a specific stratification depends on the initial dust grain sizes and the initial dust scale height. If the grains are initially ≳100 μm and if the level of turbulence is initially assumed to be low, we find no VSI turbulence in the outer disk regions.

Background-oriented schlieren experimental and simulation study of the effect of sidewalls on optical turbulence anisotropy in a thermal convection turbulence simulator

The anisotropic optical structure characteristics within the Rayleigh-Bénard (RB) turbulence simulator have been investigated through experiment and simulation. We collected data using background-oriented schlieren technology and extracted displacements using optical flow algorithms. The wavefront phase can be recovered using the conjugate gradient iterative algorithm. We analyzed the optical structural characteristics within the turbulence simulator under different temperature differences. It is observed that with an increased temperature difference, the spatial correlation of the refractive index field decreases at an accelerated rate as the separation distance increases, and the degree of anisotropy characterized by the phase structure function increases. Large eddy simulation and split-step beam propagation method complement experimental results. Numerical simulations demonstrate consistency with experimental data. The results show that the von Karman power spectral density fits the simulation and experimental phase structure function very well relative to the Kolmogorov power spectral density, which demonstrates that the simulation system combining dynamics simulation and optical simulation can achieve power spectral characteristics that are consistent with reality. The experimental and simulation results are crucial for understanding the flow field's optical structural properties inside the turbulence simulator. They will help to construct a suitable turbulence simulator for optical engineering applications and establish a rational scheme for analyzing its internal optical structural properties.

A novel thermal turbulence reconstruction method using proper orthogonal decomposition and compressed sensing coupled based on improved particle swarm optimization for sensor arrangement

With the development of offshore wind turbine single power toward levels beyond 10 MW, the increase in heat loss of components in the nacelle leads to a high local temperature in the nacelle, which seriously affects the performance of the components. Accurate reconstruction and control of thermal turbulence in the nacelle can alleviate this problem. However, the physical environment of thermal turbulence in the nacelle is very complex. Due to the intermittent and fluctuating nature of turbulence, the turbulent thermal environment is highly nonlinear when coupled with the temperature field. This leads to large reconstruction errors in existing reconstruction methods. Therefore, we improve the sparse reconstruction method for compressed sensing (CS) based on the concept of virtual time using proper orthogonal decomposition (POD). The POD-CS method links the turbulent thermal environment reconstruction with matrix decomposition to ensure computational accuracy and computational efficiency. The improved particle swarm optimization (PSO) is used to optimize the sensor arrangement to ensure stability of the reconstruction and to save sensor resources. We apply this novel and improved PSO-POD-CS coupled reconstruction method to the thermal turbulence reconstruction in the nacelle. The effects of different basis vector dimensions and different sensor location arrangements (boundary and interior) on the reconstruction errors are also evaluated separately, and finally, the desired reconstruction accuracy is obtained. The method is of research value for the reconstruction of conjugate heat transfer problems with high turbulence intensity.

Designing a self-breathing electrode modulated by spatial hydrophobic microenvironments with stabilized H2O2 generation for wastewater treatment

A novel self-breathing air-diffusion rod graphite electrode (ADE-RG) engineered with spatial hydrophobic microenvironments was developed to enhance H2O2 production without external air aeration. The microenvironments, created through thermal shaking-induced turbulence and centrifugal effect, significantly improved the air-diffusion capability. This innovation led to the increase in H2O2 generation (3.36 times higher than that in the unmodified system) due to a locally enhanced electric field, increased oxygen transfer rate, and improved selectivity for two-electron transfer process. Furthermore, incorporating polyepoxysuccinic acid into the electrolyte not only prevents electrode scaling but also minimizes H2O2 decomposition, culminating in the H2O2 concentration of 50.64 ± 2.92 mg L−1 cm−2. Notably, the system performed prominently in treating industrial rifampicin wastewater, achieving a degradation efficiency of 95.29 ± 0.47%, even under high-loading conditions (initial COD was 22,898.50 ± 405.17 mg L−1). These results indicate the significant potential of the self-breathing ADE-RG system in broad-scale wastewater treatment applications.

Influence of planetary rotation on metal-silicate mixing and equilibration in a magma ocean

At a late stage of its accretion, the Earth experienced high-energy planetary impacts. Following each collision, the metal core of the impactor sank into molten silicate magma oceans. The efficiency of chemical equilibration between these silicates and the metal core controlled the composition of the Earth interior and left a signature on geochemical and isotopic data. These data constrain the timing, pressure and temperature of Earth formation, but their interpretation strongly depends on the efficiency of metal-silicate mixing and equilibration. We investigate the role of planetary rotation on the dynamics of the sinking metal and on its chemical equilibration using laboratory experiments of particle clouds settling in a rotating fluid. Our clouds initially sink as spherical turbulent thermals, but after a critical depth, rotation becomes important and they transition to a vortical columnar flow aligned with the rotation axis. Applied to Earth formation, our results predict that rotation strongly affects the fall of metal in the magma ocean for impactors smaller than 459 km in radius on a proto-Earth that rotates twice faster than today. On a proto-Earth spinning 5 times faster than today, rotation is important for any impactor smaller than the Earth itself. In contrast with a thermal that grows in all directions, the vortical column grows vertically but keeps a constant horizontal extent. The slower dilution in vortical columns reduces chemical equilibration compared to previous estimates that neglect planetary rotation. We find that rotation significantly affects the degree of equilibration for highly siderophile elements with partition coefficients larger than 103. In this case, for a planet spinning twice faster than today, the degree of equilibration decreases by up to a factor 2 compared to previous estimates that neglect the effect of rotation. Finally, the ultimate fate of iron drops is to be detrained from the vortical column as an iron rain, reconciling the traditional iron rain scenario with the model of turbulent thermal.

Heat transfer across an air curtain for heat confinement in road tunnels: Influence of the heat source

Experiments were carried out to study the influence of the heat source using double-flow double-jet curtains (DS-TJ) to confine heat in fire safety problems. For this purpose, a small-scale road tunnel facility in 1:34 was built. The heat source used is an electric resistance. Simultaneous two-dimensional temperature and velocity measurements were made across the DS-TJ air curtain and in its immediate vicinity using a fine thermocouple and a 2D laser Doppler anemometer (LDA), respectively. Four cases were studied, by modifying the air curtain velocities at the nozzle exits and the heat source power. It is noted that hot-cold jets and heat source play a role in the curtain heat confinement by modifying the development of the two jets. Both the entrainment of the upward flow rising from the heat source as well as the Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities contribute to this. On the other hand, the nozzle exit velocities determine the behavior of the Reynolds stress profiles as well as the production of the velocities fluctuations across the curtain, showing a non-correlating effect on the hot side, so that the profiles take values around zero, suggesting a heat source influence. In contrast in the cold side negative values indicate energy-draining behavior. The intensity of thermal turbulence reveals that the hot jet has higher values than the cold jet, constituting a thermal barrier to turbulent heat flow, and all activity is relegated to the zone of interaction between the two jets. In fact, the production derived from temperature fluctuations occurs mainly in the interaction of hot-cold jets, and negative values are due to large turbulent eddies, such as Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities and Görtler-type structures. The Richardson number shows that buoyancy forces prevail on both sides of the curtain (Ri > 0.1), especially on the hot side, due to the heat source. Lower Ri values within the curtain indicate the presence of a thermal barrier, attenuating heat transfer through the curtain and favoring thermal sealing.

Turbulence structure of the Rayleigh–Bénard convection using liquid CO2 as working fluid

We studied the evolution of flow structures and large-scale circulations (LSC) in Rayleigh–Bénard convection (RBC) using liquid carbon dioxide as the working medium. In this experiment, a transparent sapphire pressure vessel with observable internal flow was designed, and different temperature differences were applied between the upper and the lower surfaces of the fluid to obtain different Rayleigh numbers (Ra). We employed proper orthogonal decomposition and reconstruction to extract internal flow structures from the shadowgraphy images. We used optical flow techniques to acquire the velocity field of the flow, and we reconstructed the temperature field inside the supercritical fluid using the relationship between shadowgraphy images and refractive index. It is clearly observed that the RBC begins to produce different flow structures under a small temperature difference of 0.4 °C. As the number of Ra increases, the number and the speed of plumes increase, and the morphology of plumes gradually becomes elongated. When Ra exceeds a certain critical value, an LSC structure appears in the flow field, and the plumes translate laterally with the large-scale circulation, and the disorder of the vortex structure in the central flow region increases significantly. Three typical flow structures were observed: (1) single plume, (2) thermal boundary layer traveling waves, and (3) Rayleigh–Taylor instability waves. We believe that the traveling wave structure is the precursor to the single plume. The temperature field analysis of the three structures was carried out, and the velocity of the typical plume was calculated by the optical flow method. It was found that LSC transitioned from oval to square shape with the increase in Ra, and the internal plume Reynolds number slowly increased with the increase in Ra. By the in-depth study of the thermal turbulence characteristics and the coherent structure evolution law of RBC, this paper provides experimental support for revealing the mechanism of enhanced heat transfer in energy system with a liquid CO2 working fluid.

An acoustic investigation of the near-surface turbulence on Mars.

The Perseverance rover is carrying out an original acoustic experiment on Mars: the SuperCam microphone records the spherical acoustic waves generated by laser sparks at distances from 2 m to more than 8 m. These N-shaped acoustic waves scatter from the multiple local heterogeneities of the turbulent atmosphere. Therefore, large and random fluctuations of sound travel time and intensity develop as the waves cross the medium. The variances of the travel times and the scintillation index (normalized variance of the sound intensity) are studied within the mathematical formalism of the propagation of spherical acoustic waves through thermal turbulence to infer statistical properties of the Mars atmospheric temperature fluctuation field. The comparison with the theory is made by simplifying assumptions that do not include wind fluctuations and diffraction effects. Two Earth years (about one Martian year) of observations acquired during the maximum convective period (10:00-14:00 Mars local time) show a good agreement between the dataset and the formalism: the travel time variance diverges from the linear Chernov solution exactly where the density of occurrence of the first caustic reaches its maximum. Moreover, on average, waves travel faster than the mean speed of sound due to a fast path effect, which is also observed on Earth. To account for the distribution of turbulent eddies, several power spectra are tested and the best match to observation is obtained with a generalized von Karman spectrum with a shallower slope than the Kolmogorov cascade, ϕ(k)∝(1+k2L2)-4/3. It is associated with an outer scale of turbulence, L, of 11 cm at 2 m above the surface and a standard deviation of 6 K over 9 s for the temperature. These near-surface atmospheric properties are consistent with a weak to moderate wave scattering regime around noon with little saturation. Overall, this study presents an innovative and promising methodology to probe the near-surface atmospheric turbulence on Mars.

Turbulent Flow Heat Transfer and Thermal Stress Improvement of Gas Turbine Blade Trailing Edge Cooling with Diamond-Type TPMS Structure

Additive manufacturing allows the fabrication of relatively complex cooling structures, such as triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS), which offers high heat transfer per unit volume. This study shows the turbulent flow heat transfer and thermal stress of the Diamond-TPMS topology in the gas turbine blade trailing edge channel. The thermal-fluid-solid analysis of the Diamond-TPMS structure, made of directionally solidified GTD111, at the nearly realistic gas turbine condition is executed, and the results are compared with the conventional pin fin array at the Reynolds number of 30,000. Compared to the baseline pin fin structure, the Diamond-TPMS model distributes flow characteristics more uniformly throughout the channel. The overall heat transfer enhancement, friction factor ratio, and thermal performance are increased by 145.3%, 200.9%, and 32.5%, respectively. The temperature, displacement, and thermal stress in the Diamond-TPMS model are also distributed more evenly. The average temperature on the external surface in the Diamond-TPMS model is lower than the baseline pin fin array by 19.9%. The Diamond-TPMS network in the wedge-shaped cooling channel helps reduce the volume displacement due to the material thermal expansion by 29.3%. Moreover, the volume-averaged von Mises stress in the Diamond-TPMS structure is decreased by 28.8%.

Role of thermodynamic and turbulence processes on the fog life cycle during SOFOG3D experiment

Abstract. In this study, we use a synergy of in situ and remote sensing measurements collected during the SOuthwest FOGs 3D experiment for processes study (SOFOG3D) field campaign in autumn and winter 2019–2020 to analyse the thermodynamic and turbulent processes related to fog formation, evolution, and dissipation across southwestern France. Based on a unique measurement dataset (synergy of cloud radar, microwave radiometer, wind lidar, and weather station data) combined with a fog conceptual model, an analysis of the four deepest fog episodes (two radiation fogs and two advection–radiation fogs) is conducted. The results show that radiation and advection–radiation fogs form under deep and thin temperature inversions, respectively. For both fog categories, the transition period from stable to adiabatic fog and the fog adiabatic phase are driven by vertical mixing associated with an increase in turbulence in the fog layer due to mechanical production (turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) up to 0.4 m2 s−2 and vertical velocity variance (σw2) up to 0.04 m2 s−2) generated by increasing wind and wind shear. Our study reveals that fog liquid water path, fog top height, temperature, radar reflectivity profiles, and fog adiabaticity derived from the conceptual model evolve in a consistent manner to clearly characterise this transition. The dissipation time is observed at night for the advection–radiation fog case studies and after sunrise for the radiation fog case studies. Night-time dissipation is driven by horizontal advection generating mechanical turbulence (TKE at least 0.3 m2 s−2 and σw2 larger than 0.04 m2 s−2). Daytime dissipation is linked to the combination of thermal and mechanical turbulence related to solar heating (near-surface sensible heat flux larger than 10 W m−2) and wind shear, respectively. This study demonstrates the added value of monitoring fog liquid water content and depth (combined with wind, turbulence, and temperature profiles) and diagnostics such as fog liquid water reservoir and adiabaticity to better explain the drivers of the fog life cycle.

New theoretical approach to dynamics of heat-mass-transfer, thermal turbulence and air ventilation in atmosphere of an industrial city II. Spectrum of thermal turbulence

In this paper we go on a development of consistent theoretical approach to modelling the turbulent regime in the atmosphere of the industrial cities and present the analytical foundations of a new model of thermal turbulence spectrum for atmosphere of an industrial city. Special attention is paid to general analytical aspects for accounting of the phenomenon of wave or vortex diffusion, which is usually ignored in most works on atmospheric ventilation modelling. Redistribution of energy over the spectrum of eddy sizes is usually called a spectral transformation, the study of which is possible only under the condition of real introduction of nonlinearity into the equation of turbulent motion. The approach presented is implemented into the general theory of heat-mass-transfer, thermal turbulence and air ventilation in atmosphere of an industrial city, including an improved theory of atmospheric circulation in combination with the hydrodynamic modelling, method of a complex geophysical plane field and the Arakawa-Schubert approach to a quantitative description of convective instability in the city’s atmosphere.

Deep learning for enhanced free-space optical communications

Atmospheric effects, such as turbulence and background thermal noise, inhibit the propagation of light used in ON–OFF keying (OOK) free-space optical (FSO) communication. Here we present and experimentally validate a convolutional neural network (CNN) to reduce the bit error rate of FSO communication in post-processing that is significantly simpler and cheaper than existing solutions based on advanced optics. Our approach consists of two neural networks, the first determining the presence of bit sequences in thermal noise and turbulence and the second demodulating the bit sequences. All data used for training and testing our network is obtained experimentally by generating OOK bit streams, combining these with thermal light, and passing the resultant light through a turbulent water tank which we have verified mimics turbulence in the air to a high degree of accuracy. Our CNN improves detection accuracy over threshold classification schemes and has the capability to be integrated with current demodulation and error correction schemes.

The Boundary Layer Characteristics and Development Mechanism of a Warm Advective Fog Event over the Yellow Sea

A large-scale persistent fog event occurred over the Yellow Sea of China from April 27 to May 4, 2015. In this study, we used satellite remote sensing data, ground meteorological observed data, global sounding data, and reanalysis data from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) and sea surface temperature (SST) data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to analyze the evolutionary characteristics, the boundary-layer marine meteorological characteristics, and the development mechanism of the sea fog event. The results show that the sea fog event was a warm advective fog process. The Yellow Sea was at the rear of the warm high and the front of the continental low (circulation situation with high in the east and low in the west). The southerly and southeasterly winds transported warm and moist air from the Northwest Pacific northward to the Yellow Sea which served as the water vapor source. A thermal turbulence interface was formed during the sea fog development. The weak vertical wind shear below the interface was conducive to the maintenance and development of sea fog in the area of the temperature inversion in the boundary layer and the formation of a certain thickness of sea fog. The sea fog occurred in the area with water vapor convergence, where the 2-m dew point was slightly higher than the SST. The area with a relative humidity greater than 90% and an air–sea temperature difference from 0 to 2 °C overlapped with the sea fog area, and these two values indicate the extent of the sea fog.

Direct Numerical Simulation of Thermal Turbulent Boundary Layer Flow over Multiple V-Shaped Ribs at Different Angles

Direct numerical simulations (DNSs) of spatially developing thermal turbulent boundary layers over angle-ribbed walls were performed. Four rib angles (γ=90°,60°,45° and 30°) were examined. It was found that the 45° ribs produced the highest drag coefficient, whereas the 30° ribs most improved the Stanton number. In comparison to the transverse rib case, streamwise velocity and dimensionless temperature in the V-shaped cases significantly increased in the near wall region and were attenuated by secondary flows further away from the ribs, which suggested a break of the outer-layer similarity in the scenario presented. The surprising improvement of heat transfer performance in the 30° rib case was mainly due to its large dispersive heat flux, while dispersive stress reached its peak value in the 45° case, emphasizing the dissimilarity in transporting momentum and heat by turbulence over a ribbed surface. Additionally, by calculating the global and local Reynolds analogy factors, we concluded that the enhancement in heat transfer efficiency was attributed to an increasing Reynolds analogy factor in the intermediate region as the rib angle decreased.

Low-cost 3D color particle tracking velocimetry: application to thermal turbulence in water

Low-cost 3D color particle tracking velocimetry: application to thermal turbulence in water

Thermal Performance and Turbulence Modeling of Combined Multiple Shell-Pass Shell and Tube Heat Exchanger

Abstract This paper investigates the adaptability of different Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS)-based turbulence models for flow behavior and thermal performance of combined multiple shell-pass shell and tube heat exchanger (CMSP-STHE) with unilateral ladder-type helical baffle (ULHB). The presence of ULHB in the outer shell pass of the heat exchanger leads to a complex flow configuration and makes it quite challenging to deal with its computational analysis. The computational fluid dynamic method compares the CMSP-STHE with ULHB with the traditional shell and tube heat exchanger with segmental baffles (SG-STHE). The performance of four turbulence models, namely, realizable k–ɛ, standard k–ɛ, standard k–ω and RNG k–ɛ models are compared with the correlation data. It is observed that the standard k–ω turbulence model more accurately predicts the heat transfer and pressure drop compared to other models. The logarithmic mean temperature difference (LMTD) results for various mass flowrates and thermal performance enhancement factor (TPEF) corresponding to various values of Re are also presented. It is concluded that the TPEF of CMSP (ULHB)-STHE is higher than that of the conventional STHE. The average enhancement is approximately 28% for ULHB STHE than the conventional one. Further, variations in velocity, turbulence kinetic energy, and local Nusselt number along the tube length are examined to understand the thermal performance behavior with CMSP (ULHB)-STHE. It is clear from the results that the CMSP (ULHB)-STHE is a better alternative to the traditional SG-STHEs.