Hydrodynamic Characteristics of Flow around Tube Bank with Integral Wake Splitter

Abstract

Abstract.This paper reports the effects of a longitudinal plate attached at the backward stagnation point of a bank of tubes on the local static pressure distribution. The longitudinal plate is termed as an integral wake splitter. Investigations on hydrodynamic characteristics of tube banks with integral wake splitter were carried out in cross flow of air in a rectangular duct at a Reynolds number of 15950. The integral wake splitter length-to-tube-diameter ratios studied were 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0. The tube bank consisting of 12 rows and 3 tubes per row in equilateral triangular arrangement with a transverse pitch to diameter ratio, a = 2. The results obtained were compared to the experimental data of Seri et al. (2014). It is observed that the addition of the integral wake splitter reduces the overall pressure drop.