NUMERICAL ANALYSIS ON HEAT TRANSFER PERFORMANCE AND HYDRODYNAMIC EVALUATION OF FLOW THROUGH THE RECTANGULAR GROOVED CHANNEL WITH AND WITHOUT FINS

Abstract

This study presents heat transfer performance and hydrodynamics of steady flow in a rectangular grooved channel with and without fin. Such heat transfer enhancement techniques are of great practical importance in many engineering systems, including boiler tube-type heat exchangers, electronic cooling systems, compact heat exchangers, and thermal management applications where improved thermal performance and acceptable pressure losses are required. The numerical simulations were performed at Reynolds number ranges of 100 ≤ Re ≤ 4000. Fins’ heights were selected as 5 mm and 10 mm. Moreover, heat flux was provided with a value of 1000 W/m2 at the 300 mm of the corrugated channel. Velocity and Turbulent Kinetic Energy contours as well as velocity vectors were plotted so as to reveal flow patterns and motions. The velocity contours clearly showed that the flow velocity increased at the center of the corrugated channel. Furthermore, it was noted that the flow velocity was significantly impacted by the fins' presence. In terms of explaining flow dynamics inside the channel, employing fins caused the circulating flow behind the fins to be formed, resulting in presence of energized flow. The results of turbulent kinetic energy clearly revealed that flow was energized by means of different height fins. This enabled more heat transfer in the corrugated channel with different height fins compared to the corrugated one without fins.

Keywords

• Fins
• Heat transfer enhancement
• Numerical simulation
• Rectangle corrugated channel

References

1. H. Alipour, A. Karimipour, M. R. Safaei, D. T. Semiromi, and O. A. Akbari, “Influence of T-semi attached rib on turbulent flow and heat transfer parameters of a silver-water nanofluid with different volume fractions in a three-dimensional trapezoidal microchannel,” Physica E: Low-Dimensional Systems and Nanostructures, vol. 88, pp. 60–76, 2017.
2. O. G. V. Mitrofanova, “Hydrodynamics and heat transfer in swirling flows in channels with swirlers (analytical review),” High Temperature, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 518–559, 2003.
3. H. E. Ahmed, H. A. Mohammed, and M. Z. Yusoff, “An overview on heat transfer augmentation using vortex generators and nanofluids: approaches and applications,” Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, vol. 16, no. 8, pp. 5951–5993, 2012.
4. M. R. Safaei, B. Rahmanian, and M. Goodarzi, “Numerical study of laminar mixed convection heat transfer of power-law non-Newtonian fluids in square enclosures by finite volume method,” International Journal of Physical Sciences, vol. 6, no. 33, pp. 7456–7470, 2011.
5. M. R. Shamsi, O. A. Akbari, A. Marzban, D. Toghraie, and R. Mashayekhi, “Increasing heat transfer of non-Newtonian nanofluid in rectangular microchannel with triangular ribs,” Physica E: Low-Dimensional Systems and Nanostructures, vol. 93, pp. 167–178, 2017.
6. M. Bahiraei, M. Jamshidmofid, and M. Goodarzi, “Efficacy of a hybrid nanofluid in a new microchannel heat sink equipped with both secondary channels and ribs,” Journal of Molecular Liquids, vol. 273, pp. 88–98, 2019.
7. H. Zontul, H. Hamzah, N. Kurtulmuş, and B. Şahin, “Investigation of convective heat transfer and flow hydrodynamics in rectangular grooved channels,” International Communications in Heat and Mass Transfer, vol. 126, 105366, 2021.
8. E. Y. Choi, Y. D. Choi, W. S. Lee, J. T. Chung, and J. S. Kwak, “Heat transfer augmentation using a rib–dimple compound cooling technique,” Applied Thermal Engineering, vol. 51, no. 1–2, pp. 435–441, 2013.

9. Z. Chen, D. Zhao, T. Jiang, W. Xu, L. Jiang, X. Liu, and G. Guan, “Design and optimization of cross-corrugated triangular ducts towards reducing CO2 emission and improving energy efficiency,” Aerosol and Air Quality Research, vol. 21, no. 12, 210184, 2021.
10. W. Wang, Y. Zhang, B. Li, H. Han, and X. Gao, “Influence of geometrical parameters on turbulent flow and heat transfer characteristics in outward helically corrugated tubes,” Energy Conversion and Management, vol. 136, pp. 294–306, 2017.
11. Z. J. Jin, F. Q. Chen, Z. X. Gao, X. F. Gao, and J. Y. Qian, “Effects of pitch and corrugation depth on heat transfer characteristics in six-start spirally corrugated tube,” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, vol. 108, pp. 1011–1025, 2017.
12. N. Kurtulmuş and B. Şahin, “Experimental investigation of pulsating flow structures and heat transfer characteristics in sinusoidal channels,” International Journal of Mechanical Sciences, vol. 167, 105268, 2020.
13. C. W. Leung and S. D. Probert, “Forced-convective turbulent-flows through horizontal ducts with isosceles-triangular internal cross-sections,” Applied Energy, vol. 57, no. 1, pp. 13–24, 1997.
14. K. Karabulut, “The effects of rectangular baffle angles and heights on heat transfer and pressure drop performance in cross-triangular grooved rectangular flow ducts,” International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow, vol. 105, 109260, 2024.
15. Fluent Inc., FLUENT User’s Guide. Lebanon, NH, USA: Fluent Inc., 2003.
16. K. Koca and M. Özden, “Flow properties of an Ahmed Body with different passive flow control methods,” Gazi University Journal of Science Part C. Design and Technology, pp. 1–1, 2024.
17. İ. Karasu, H. H. Açıkel, K. Koca, and M. S. Genç, “Effects of thickness and camber ratio on flow characteristics over airfoils,” Journal of Thermal Engineering, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 242–252, 2020.
18. X. P. Liu and J. L. Niu, “Effects of geometrical parameters on the thermohydraulic characteristics of periodic cross-corrugated channels,” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, vol. 84, pp. 542–549, 2015.
19. J. Welty, G. L. Rorrer, and D. G. Foster, Fundamentals of Momentum, Heat, and Mass Transfer, John Wiley & Sons, 2014.
20. D. John and J. R. Anderson, Computational Fluid Dynamics: The Basics with Applications, Mechanical Engineering Series, 1995.
21. J. H. Ferziger and M. Perić, Computational Methods for Fluid Dynamics, New York: Springer, 2002. P. J. Roache, Verification and Validation in Computational Science and Engineering, Albuquerque, NM: Hermosa, 1998.
22. J. D. Anderson and J. Wendt, Computational Fluid Dynamics, 1995, p. 332.
23. M. Seçkin, Y. Özpolat, A. K. Emek, Ö. Dilmen, and K. Koca, “Numerical investigation of flow around a circular cylinder with a spoiler at low Reynolds number,” 2025
24. D. Lengani, D. Simoni, M. Ubaldi, P. Zunino, and F. Bertini, “Analysis of the Reynolds stress component production in a laminar separation bubble,” International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow, vol. 64, pp. 112–119, 2017.
25. M. Özden and K. Koca, “Öndeki Aracın Akışına Maruz Kalan Otobüsün Üzerinde Oluşan Aerodinamik Etkinin Sayısal Olarak İncelenmesi,” Erciyes Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü Fen Bilimleri Dergisi, vol. 39, no. 1, pp. 116–125, 2023.
26. S. Arslan and K. Koca, “Investigating the best automatic programming method in predicting the aerodynamic characteristics of wind turbine blade,” Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence, vol. 123, 106210, 2023.
27. M. Özden, M. S. Genç, and K. Koca, “Investigation of the effect of hidden vortex generator-flap integrated mechanism revealed in low velocities on wind turbine blade flow,” Energy Conversion and Management, vol. 287, 117107, 2023.
28. R. Kumar, V. Goel, and A. Kumar, “Investigation of heat transfer augmentation and friction factor in triangular duct solar air heater due to forward facing chamfered rectangular ribs: A CFD based analysis,” Renewable Energy, vol. 115, pp. 824–835, 2018.