Effect of shape of H-shaped channel on turbulent heat transfer phenomena in the channel with counterflow

Abstract

It is important to reveal the characteristics of flow structure and heat transfer of a turbulent flow in an H-shaped channel―two counterflow channels connected at the middle by a connection channel, since such flows can be seen in various engineering products and infrastructures. In this study, in order to investigate the effect of connection length of mixing region in the H-shaped channel on heat transfer processes, numerical simulations of two-dimensional incompressible turbulent heat transfer in H-shaped channel with various connection lengths are carried out. As a result, mainstreams change direction by 180 degrees in the mixing region whose length is 40 times as large as half-width of the inflow channels at Re 167400 and the temperature in the middle of the mixing region is found to be close to that of the channel walls.