Taylor-Couette-Poiseuille Flow Heat Transfer in a High Taylor Number Test Rig

Abstract

As technology advances, rotating machinery is becoming smaller and operating at higher rotational speeds, with increased pressure and heat concentration. This combination of factors increases structural stresses, while increasing the risk of temperature sensitive components over heating. To properly protect these components, such as bearings and seals, and reduce structural stresses, it is necessary to have accurately designed thermal management systems with well-understood heat transfer characteristics. Currently available heat transfer correlations operating within high Taylor number (above1×1010) flow regimes are lacking. In this work, the design of a high Taylor number flow experimental test rig is presented. A non-invasive methodology, used to capture the instantaneous heat flux of the rotating body, is presented. A new correlation for Taylor numbers between 0.0and 9.0×108 with airis provided using the effective Reynolds number. Capability of the test rig and methodology enables the use of high density fluids, such as supercritical carbon dioxide, providing opportunity to develop correlations up to 1×1012.A unique approach is presented, using the Monte-Carlo method for evaluating the uncertainties in the calculated values. Data of a single testis presented for a Taylor number of 8.9±1.6×107 and an effective Reynolds number of 3.3±0.2×104. This operating condition corresponded to a measured heat transfer coefficient of 3.16±0.9×102W/m2K and Nusselt number of 8.9±1.6×101. This level of detailed uncertainty analysis for heat transfer coefficient measurements is not present in existing literature. This paper represents the first comprehensive portrayal of uncertainty propagation in heat transfer coefficient measurements for Taylor-Couette-Poiseuille (T-C-P) flow heat transfer experiments.