Experimental study of an upward sub-cooled forced convection in a rectangular channel

The upward sub-cooled forced convection in a rectangular channel is investigated experimentally. The aim of the present work is the studying of the local heat transfer phenomena. Concerning the experimentation: the n-pentane is used as a working fluid, the independent variables are: the velocity in the range from 0.04 to 0.086 m/s and heat flux density with values between 1.8 and 7.36 W/cm2. The results show that the local Nusselt number distribution is not uniform along the channel; however, uniformity is observed in the mean Nusselt number for Reynolds under 1600. On the other hand, a new correlation to predict the local fluid temperature is established as a function of local wall temperature. The wall’s heat is dissipated under the common effect of the sub-cooled regime; therefore, the local heat transfer coefficient is increased. The study of the thermal equilibrium showed that for Reynolds less than 1500; almost all of the heat flux generated by the heater cartridges is absorbed by the fluid.