Mathematical and Numerical Analysis of Heat Transfer Enhancement by Distribution of Suction Flows inside Permeable Tubes

Abstract

Heat transfer enhancement in permeable tubes subjected to transverse suction flow is investigated in this work. Both momentum and energy equations are solved analytically and numerically. Both solutions based on negligible entry regions are well matched. Two different suction velocity distributions are considered. A parametric study including the influence of the average suction velocity and the suction velocity profile is conducted for various Peclet numbers. It is found that enhancement of heat transfer over that in impermeable tubes is only possible with large Peclet numbers. This enhancement increases as suction velocities towards the tube outlet increase and as those towards the tube inlet decrease simultaneously. The identified enhancement mechanisms are expanding the entry regions, increasing the transverse advection, and increasing the downstream excess temperatures under same transverse advection. The average suction velocity that produces maximum enhancement increases as the Peclet number increases until it reaches asymptotically its uppermost value at large Peclet numbers. The maximum reported enhancement ratios for the exponential and linear suction velocity distributions are 17.62-fold and 14.67-fold above those for impermeable tubes, respectively. This work demonstrates that significant heat transfer enhancement is attainable when the suction flow inside the permeable tubes is distributed properly.