Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Reynolds number dependence of the drag coefficient for laminar flow through electrically-heated photoetched screens

Experiments in Fluids volume 18, pages 206–209 (1995)Cite this article

Abstract

Experiments are performed to measure the drag coefficient of electrically-heated screens. Square-pattern 80 mesh and 100 mesh screens of 50.8 μm-wide wires photoetched from 50.8 μm thick Inconel sheets are examined. Ambient air is passed through these screens at upstream velocities yielding wire-width Reynolds numbers from 2 to 35, and electrical current is passed through the screens to generate heat fluxes from o to 0.17 MW/m2, based on the total screen area. The dependence of the drag coefficient on Reynolds number and heat flux is determined for these two screens by measuring pressure drops across the screens for a variety of conditions in these ranges. In all cases, heating is found to increase the drag coefficient above the unheated value. A correlation relating the heated drag coefficient to the unheated drag coefficient is developed based on the idea that the main effect of heating at these levels is to modify the Reynolds number through modifying the viscosity. This correlation is seen to reproduce the experimental results closely.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Abbreviations

A :

total screen cross sectional area

C :

fitting coefficient, near unity

c D :

heated drag coefficient

c D, 0 :

unheated drag coefficient

C p :

air specific heat at constant pressure

D :

photoetched wire width, sheet thickness

h s :

stagnation point heat-transfer coefficient

k :

air thermal conductivity

M :

distance between adjacent wires

O :

open area fraction

p :

air pressure

Δp :

air pressure drop across screen

Pr :

Prandtl number for air, μc p/k

Q :

total electrical power to screen

R :

radius of curvature at stagnation point

Re D :

wire width Reynolds number, ρUD/μ

T :

air temperature

U :

air speed upstream of screen

γ :

air specific heat ratio

ρ :

air density

μ :

air viscosity

ω :

exponent in temperature power law for viscosity

(⋯)⋆ :

quantity (⋯) evaluated at heated screen temperature

References

  • Bernardi RT; Linehan JH; Hamilton LH (1976) Low Reynolds number loss coefficient for fine-mesh screens. Trans. ASME J Fluids Eng 98: 762–764

    Google Scholar 

  • BMC Industries (1992) Buckbee-Mears expertise in precision etched products. St. Paul. Minnesota: BMC Industries

    Google Scholar 

  • Böttcher J; Wedemeyer E (1989) The flow downstream of screens and its influence on the flow in the stagnation region of cylindrical bodies. I Fluid Mech 204: 501–522

    Google Scholar 

  • Groth J; Johansson AV (1988) Turbulence reduction by screens. J Fluid Mech 197: 139–155

    Google Scholar 

  • Laws EM; Livesey JL (1978) Flow through screens, Ann Rev Fluid Mech 10: 247–266

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Hern TJ; Robey HF; Torczynski JR; Neal DR; Shagam RN (1991) Measurements of passive-scalar spectra for grid turbulence using a nonlinear optical technique. In: Fluid measurements and instrumentation forum (eds. Gore R; Jones G; Hayami H; Nishi M), pp 29–33. New York: American Society of Mechanical Engineers

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Hern TJ; Shagam RN; Neal DR; Suo-Anttila AJ; Torczynski JR (1993) Downstream evolution of turbulence from heated screens: experimental and analytical results. Sandia Report SAND92–0480. Albuquerque, New Mexico: Sandia National Laboratories

    Google Scholar 

  • O'Hern TJ; Torczynski JR (1993) Reynolds number dependence of the drag coefficient for laminar flow through fine-scale photoetched screens. Exp Fluids 15: 75–81

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinker RA; Herbert MV (1967) Pressure loss associated with compressible flow through square-mesh wire gauzes, J Mech Engr Sci 9: 11–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Roach PE (1987) The generation of nearly isotropic turbulence by means of grids, Int J Heat and Fluid Flow 8: 82–92

    Google Scholar 

  • White FW (1984) Heat transfer. Reading, Mass. Addison-Wesley

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. MS 0834, Dept. 1512, Engineering Sciences Center, Sandia National Laboratories, 87185-5800, Albuquerque, NM, USA

    J. R. Torczynski & T. J. O'Hern

Authors
  1. J. R. Torczynski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. T. J. O'Hern
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Additional information

The authors thank John Lewin and Bob Meyer for their assistance in the design and fabrication of the heated screen test facility and Tom Grasser for his help in performing the experiments. This work was performed at Sandia National laboratories, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy under contract number DE-AC04-94AL85000.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Torczynski, J.R., O'Hern, T.J. Reynolds number dependence of the drag coefficient for laminar flow through electrically-heated photoetched screens. Experiments in Fluids 18, 206–209 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00230267

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00230267

Keywords

Search

Navigation