Flow Visualization Studies on Secondary Flow Patterns in Straight Tubes Downstream of a 180 deg Bend and in Isothermally Heated Horizontal Tubes

Abstract

Photographs are presented for secondary flow patterns in a straight tube (x/d = 0 ∼ 70) downstream of a 180 deg bend (tube inside diameter d = 2.54 cm, radius of curvature Rc = 12.7 cm) and in an isothermally heated horizontal tube (tube inside diameter d = 2.54 cm, heated length l = 46.2 cm) with free convection effects. Each test section is preceded by a long entrance length with air as the flowing fluid. For curved pipes, the Dean number range is K = 99 to 384. At the exit of the 180 deg bend, the onset of centrifugal instability in the form of an additional pair of Dean vortices near the central outer wall occurs at a Dean number of about K = 100. The developing secondary flow patterns in the thermal entrance region of an isothermally heated horizontal tube are shown for the dimensionless axial distance z = 0.8 × 10−2 to 1.83 (Re = 3134 ∼ 14) for a range of constant wall temperatures Tw = 55 ∼ 65° C with entrance air temperature at about 25° C. The secondary flow patterns shown are useful for future comparisons with predictions from numerical solutions.