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Enhanced heat transfer and flow analysis in a backward-facing step using a porous baffle

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Abstract

The backward-facing step or the sudden expansion in internal flows is an important problem in different areas. In this study, a porous baffle is mounted on the opposite wall of a sudden expansion to enhance heat transfer near the step. Unlike the solid baffle, which is extensively studied in the literature, the porous baffle has a lower pressure drop, and its properties can be tuned to reach the optimal prospected performance. Effects of different porous baffle geometrical parameters including its normalized height (Hb = 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 1.75), width (Wb = 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5), porous baffle-step relative distance (D = 1, 2, 3, 4), Darcy number (10−2, 10−3, 10−4, 10−6), and Reynolds number (100, 200, 300, 400, 500) on the heat transfer and pressure drop are investigated. The simulation indicates that higher Reynolds numbers enhance more the heat transfer (35% improvement at Re = 500 with respect to 10% at Re = 100). Also, longer baffles can lead to higher heat transfer rates (5% improvement in Hb = 0.5 with respect to 32% at Hb = 1.5).

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Abbreviations

C p :

Specific heat of the fluid (kJ kg−1 K−1)

D :

Normalized distance of the baffle

F :

Inertial factor

H :

Duct height downstream of the step (m)

h :

Duct height upstream of the step (m)

h b :

Baffle height (m)

H b :

Normalized baffle height

k :

Thermal conductivity (W m−1 K−1))

K :

Porous media permeability (m2)

k f :

Thermal conductivity of fluid (W m−1 K−1)

Nu:

Nusselt number

Nu*:

Nu/Nub

Nub :

Nusselt number when a porous baffle is not used

p :

Pressure (pa)

p*:

Normalized pressure drop

Rem :

Reynolds number

S :

Step height (m)

T :

Temperature (K)

T 0 :

Inlet temperature (K)

T w :

Wall temperature (K)

u :

Velocity component in the x-direction (m s−1)

u m :

Mean velocity (m s−1)

v :

Velocity component in the y-direction (m s−1)

w b :

Width of the baffle (m)

W b :

Normalized width of the baffle

x :

Streamwise coordinate direction (m)

X :

Normalized streamwise coordinate

y :

Transverse coordinate direction (m)

Y :

Normalized transverse coordinate

ε :

Porosity

μ :

Dynamic viscosity (N m−1 s−1)

μ e :

Effective dynamic viscosity (N m−1s−1)

ρ :

Density (kg m-3)

b :

Base state

m :

Mean

w :

Wall

e :

Effective

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51775165) and Shanghai Natural Science Foundation (18030501200). The authors would like to acknowledge the support provided by Jian Ruan, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, Shanghai University of Engineering Science, Shanghai, China

    Chuanchang Li, Guohua Cui, Jianguang Zhai, Saixuan Chen & Zhi Hu

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  1. Chuanchang Li
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Correspondence to Guohua Cui.

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Li, C., Cui, G., Zhai, J. et al. Enhanced heat transfer and flow analysis in a backward-facing step using a porous baffle. J Therm Anal Calorim 141, 1919–1932 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10973-020-09437-w

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