Newtonian hydro-thermal fluid fl 1 ow phenomena through a sudden 2 expansion channel with or without baffles

Abstract

This work aims to study the different characteristics of Newtonian fluid flow and heat transfer througha 1:3 sudden expansion channel with or without plane baffles using the finite volume method. The flowis assumed viscous, incompressible, steady, and laminar. The different characteristics of hydro-thermalfluid flow phenomena have been studied for 𝑅𝑒 ∈ [0.1 − 200] to demonstrate the influence of thepresence of baffles. The profiles of velocity, pressure, skin friction coefficient, friction factor, averageNusselt number, and pumping power have been examined for both the cases of the presence and absenceof baffles. It has been observed that the hydro-thermal characteristics become more pronounced withthe increase in the number of baffles. In the case of three baffles of equal length, at 𝑅𝑒 = 200 it iscalculated that if the thickness of the baffles is same and equal to 10% of the length, then the value of Nu becomes approximately 1.2 times of that in the absence of baffle. For the same value of Re, ithas been found that for the presence of one baffle of length equal to the width of the inlet section of thechannel and of thickness 10% of the same, the value of 𝑁𝑢􀯔􀯩 becomes 1.11 times of that in the absenceof baffle, while in the case of three baffles of equal length and of equal thickness like the abovementioned case of one baffle, the value of 𝑁𝑢􀯔􀯩 becomes 1.25 times of that in absence of baffle. It hasalso been revealed that the enhancement of thermal phenomena increases with the increase inthe baffle’s height.