Large Eddy Simulations of turbulent convective flow through a periodic groove channel

TL;DR

This study uses large eddy simulations to analyze turbulent convective flow in a grooved channel, revealing significant heat transfer improvements and friction reduction compared to traditional RANS methods, with practical correlations developed.

Contribution

It introduces LES-based analysis of turbulent flow in grooved channels, providing more accurate heat transfer predictions and new correlations for friction and thermal enhancement factors.

Findings

Heat transfer rate improved by up to 45% using LES.

Frictional losses decreased by approximately 40%.

Maximum thermal enhancement factor increased by 64% at specific ratios.

Abstract

The use of extended surfaces find wide range of applications in heat transfer devices for achieving heat transfer augmentation like gas turbine blade cooling and nuclear reactor core since the last few decades. So, understanding the underlying flow physics physics and the transport phenomenon governing the heat transfer enhancement is the goal of the present study. In the present investigation, numerical computations of turbulent forced convection through a periodic groove channel are carried out using large eddy simulations. The lower wall of the grooved channel is provided with constant heat flux while upper wall insulated. Computations were carried out using WMLES model in LES formulation implemented in a finite volume based solver ANSYS Fluent 19.2. The simulations are performed over varying Reynolds numbers range of 3000-30000 at different ratios groove width to channel height (B/H) in the range 0.75-1.75. The groove pitch ratio, and depth ratio kept constant of magnitude 2 and 0.5 respectively. Estimation of coefficient of heat transfer, associated frictional losses, and magnitude of heat enhancement are systematically carried out and compared with reported results in literature obtained using RANS framework reported in literature. The results obtained using LES show improvements in the heat transfer rate by a reasonable magnitude of 45% while the associated frictional losses decreased by an average magnitude of 40% compared to results obtained using RANS formulation in the aforementioned range of Re. Further, a maximum magnitude of 64% improvement in the thermal enhancement factor is achieved using LES for a B/H ratio of 0.75. Two correlations are proposed to calculate the friction factor and thermal enhancement factor for a given Re, Nu and (B/H) ratio, with a R-squared value of 0.94 and 0.96 respectively based on the obtained simulated results.