Computations of Flow and Heat Transfer in a Channel With Rows of Hemispherical Cavities

Abstract

Computations were performed to investigate the three-dimensional flow and heat transfer in a high aspect ratio channel in which one or two wall are lined with four rows of hemispherical cavities arranged in a staggered fashion with two Reynolds numbers (23,000 and 46,000). The focus is on understanding the flow induced by cavities and how that flow affects surface heat transfer. Computed results were compared with available experimental data. This computational study is based on the ensemble-averaged conservation equations of mass, momentum (compressible Navier-Stokes), and energy closed by the low Reynolds number shear-stress transport k-ω turbulence model (wall functions were not used). Solutions were generated by a cell-centered finite-volume method that uses third-order accurate flux-difference splitting of Roe with limiters, multigrid acceleration of a diagonalized ADI scheme with local time stepping, and patched/overlapped structured grids.