Numerical study on convective heat-transfer enhancement by vortex interactions

Miniaturization and performance augmentation of heat transfer equipment calls for heat-transfer enhancement methods with minimal pressure loss. Flow manipulators such as vortex generators (VGs) used in a flow field can enhance heat transfer without any external interference. A novel passive heat-transfer enhancement mechanism based on vortex interactions of longitudinal VGs is analyzed in the present study. Extensive computational study has been carried out to explore the effect of the interactions of identical and distinct vortex interactions to promote convective heat transfer. The role of multiple VGs and interaction of various kinds of vortices generated over a flat plate placed in a high-speed flow to promote passive heat transfer are analysed in detail. The advection upstream splitting method that is available in a finite volume method–based commercial solver is used for inviscid flux computations in a three-dimensional compressible turbulent flow field. Analysis using method of images and potential flow theory establishes a coherence between vortex trajectory and heat-transfer enhancement pattern in the flow field. A performance parameter, that compares heat-transfer enhancement with associated pressure loss is used in the present study to evaluate overall performance of the system. © 2019 by Begell House, Inc. www.begellhouse.com.