Laminar convective heat transfer of shear-thinning liquids in rectangular channels with longitudinal vortex generators

Laminar convective heat transfer of shear-thinning liquids in rectangular channels with longitudinal vortex generators

Ebrahimi, Amin (TU Delft (OLD) MSE-5)
Naranjani, Benyamin (Ferdowsi University of Mashhad)
Milani, Shayan (Ferdowsi University of Mashhad)
Dadras Javan, Farzad (Ferdowsi University of Mashhad)

2017

Heat and fluid flow in a rectangular channel heat sink equipped with longitudinal vortex generators have been numerically investigated in the range of Reynolds numbers between 25 and 200. Aqueous solutions of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) with different concentrations (200–2000 ppm), which are shear-thinning non-Newtonian liquids, have been utilised as working fluid. Three-dimensional simulations have been performed on a plain channel and a channel with five pairs of vortex generators. The channels have a hydraulic diameter of 8 mm and are heated by constant wall temperature. The vortex generators have been mounted at different angles of attack and locations inside the channel. The shear-thinning liquid flow in rectangular channels with longitudinal vortex generators are described and the mechanisms of heat transfer enhancement are discussed. The results demonstrate a heat transfer enhancement of 39–188% using CMC aqueous solutions in rectangular channels with LVGs with respect to a Newtonian liquid flow (i.e. water). Additionally, it is shown that equipping rectangular channels with LVGs results in an enhancement of 24–135% in heat transfer performance vis-à-vis plain channel. However, this heat transfer enhancement is associated with larger pressure losses. For the range of parameters studied in this paper, increasing the CMC concentration, the angle of attack of vortex generators and their lateral distances leads to an increase in heat transfer performance. Additionally, heat transfer performance of rectangular channels with longitudinal vortex generators enhances with increasing the Reynolds number in the laminar flow regime.

Convective heat transfer
Longitudinal vortex generators
Non-Newtonian fluid flow
Shear-thinning power-law fluid

http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:3054a748-1c85-46af-b297-fa764ef5ebc2

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ces.2017.07.044

0009-2509

Chemical Engineering Science, 173, 264-274

Institutional Repository

journal article

© 2017 Amin Ebrahimi, Benyamin Naranjani, Shayan Milani, Farzad Dadras Javan