Experimental study of solidification under mixed convection conditions. Annual performance report.

摘要

An experimental study has been performed for solidification in a mixed convection environment. Specifically, solidification of water in flow through a parallel plate channel has been considered. The study included both the vertical and inclined orientations, as well as aiding and opposing buoyancy forces. Overall heat transfer data, solid layer morphology, and flow visualization data were obtained. Buoyancy forces in the assisting vertical channel orientation were found to enhance heat transfer, inhibit solid layer growth, and produce a nearly stagnant region in the channel core. In the opposing vertical orientation, the resulting flow field was unsteady, and intermittently turbulent. For inclined channels, buoyancy forces resulted in the formation of a longitudinal vortex flow structure which had the effect of creating grooves, or spanwise variations, in the solid layer. Heat transfer was found to be enhanced over the vertical case for all channel inclinations up to 60 deg. 33 refs., 64 figs., 4 tabs.