DEVELOPING FORCED AND FREE CONVECTION FOR INCLINED SEMICIRCULAR DUCTS

摘要

Laminar mixed convection in the entrance region for inclined semicircular ducts with the flat wall in the vertical position has been investigated numerically. The governing momentum and energy equations were solved numerically using a marching technique with finite control volume approach following the SIMPLER algorithm. Results were obtained for the thermal boundary condition of uniform heat input axially and uniform wall temperature circumferentially (H1 thermal boundary condition), with Pr = 7.0 (i. e. water), Reynolds number equals 500, inclination angles 0°, 20°, 40°, 60°, 80°, and a wide range of Grashof numbers. These results include velocity, and temperature distributions, at different axial locations, as well as, the axial development of the Nusselt numbers, and the wall friction factor a long the duct length. It was found that the Nusselt numbers were close to the forced convection values near the entrance region and then decreases to a minimum as the distance from the entrance increases and than rises up due to the effect of free convection before reaching a constant value (fully developed value). It is observed that at inclination angles 0° and 20° the values of Nusselt number are higher in the developing and fully developed regions, than those corresponding to 40°, 60°, and 80° at the same Grashof number, however, it was found that at the same Grshof number the values of friction factors increases in the developing and fully developed regions with the increase of the inclination angle.