Numerical simulations of heat transfer in plane channel flow

Najla El Gharbi (1) , Rafik Absi (2) , Ahmed Benzaoui (1)

1 Laboratoire de Thermodynamique et des Systèmes Energétiques
2 EBI - Inst. Polytech. St-Louis

Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) turbulence models (such as k-\epsilon models) are still widely used for engineering applications because of their relatively simplicity and robustness. In fully developed plane channel flow (i.e. the flow between two infinitely large plates), even if available models and near-wall treatments provide adequate mean flow velocities, they fail to predict suitable turbulent kinetic energy "TKE" profiles near walls. TKE is involved in determination of eddy viscosity/diffusivity and could therefore provide inaccurate concentrations and temperatures. In order to improve TKE a User Define Function "UDF" based on an analytical profile for TKE was developed and implemented in Fluent. Mean streamwise velocity and turbulent kinetic energy "TKE" profiles were compared to DNS data for friction Reynolds number Re\tau = 150. Simulation results for TKE show accurate profiles. Simulation results for horizontal heated channel flows obtained with Fluent are presented. Numerical results are validated by DNS data for Re\tau = 150.

Mots clés: turbulent flows; heat transfer; forced convection; low Reynolds number model

Domaines: Mécanique des fluides [physics.class-ph]; Mécanique des fluides [physics.class-ph]

Najla El Gharbi, Rafik Absi, Ahmed Benzaoui. Numerical simulations of heat transfer in plane channel flow. 6th International Conference on Diffusion in Solids and liquids, 5-7 July 2010, Paris, Jul 2010, Paris, France. pp.1-6. ⟨hal-00538122v2⟩