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The effect of thermal boundary conditions on forced convection heat transfer to fluids at supercritical pressure

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 July 2016

Hassan Nemati
Affiliation:
Process and Energy Department, Delft University of Technology, Leeghwaterstraat 39, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands
Ashish Patel
Affiliation:
Process and Energy Department, Delft University of Technology, Leeghwaterstraat 39, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands
Bendiks J. Boersma
Affiliation:
Process and Energy Department, Delft University of Technology, Leeghwaterstraat 39, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands
Rene Pecnik*
Affiliation:
Process and Energy Department, Delft University of Technology, Leeghwaterstraat 39, 2628 CB Delft, The Netherlands
*
†Email address for correspondence: r.pecnik@tudelft.nl

Abstract

We use direct numerical simulations to study the effect of thermal boundary conditions on developing turbulent pipe flows with fluids at supercritical pressure. The Reynolds number based on pipe diameter and friction velocity at the inlet is $Re_{{\it\tau}0}=360$ and Prandtl number at the inlet is $Pr_{0}=3.19$ . The thermodynamic conditions are chosen such that the temperature range within the flow domain incorporates the pseudo-critical point where large variations in thermophysical properties occur. Two different thermal wall boundary conditions are studied: one that permits temperature fluctuations and one that does not allow temperature fluctuations at the wall (equivalent to cases where the thermal effusivity ratio approaches infinity and zero, respectively). Unlike for turbulent flows with constant thermophysical properties and Prandtl numbers above unity – where the effusivity ratio has a negligible influence on heat transfer – supercritical fluids shows a strong dependency on the effusivity ratio. We observe a reduction of 7 % in Nusselt number when the temperature fluctuations at the wall are suppressed. On the other hand, if temperature fluctuations are permitted, large property variations are induced that consequently cause an increase of wall-normal velocity fluctuations very close to the wall and thus an increased overall heat flux and skin friction.

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Papers
Copyright
© 2016 Cambridge University Press 
Figure 0

Figure 1. Property variations of carbon dioxide $\text{CO}_{2}$ versus enthalpy for pressures $P_{0}=78$, 80 and 82 bar based on Span & Wagner (2003) (arrows show the direction of increasing $P_{0}$). (a) Density ${\it\rho}$ (——) and isobaric heat capacity $c_{p}$ (— ⋅ —), (b) dynamic viscosity ${\it\mu}$ (——) and thermal conductivity ${\it\lambda}$ (— ⋅ —) and (c) Prandtl number (——).

Figure 1

Figure 2. Simulation set-up: an inflow generator is used to provide a fully developed turbulent flow for the developing pipe flows. A simulation with constant heat flux is performed first, which then provides the averaged wall enthalpy for a successive simulation.

Figure 2

Table 1. Case studies corresponding to thermal wall boundary conditions and fluid properties.

Figure 3

Figure 3. Spatial resolution normalized by Kolmogorov scale ${\it\eta}=(\overline{{\it\nu}}^{3}/{\it\epsilon})^{1/4}$ (lines with symbols) and thermal scales ${\it\eta}_{{\it\theta}}={\it\eta}/\sqrt{Pr}$ (lines) for $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$. (a) Radial, (b) circumferential and (c) streamwise resolution; (——) $z=0$ ($\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ and $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow 0}$), (– – –) $z=5$, (— ⋅ —) $z=20$.

Figure 4

Figure 4. Instantaneous enthalpy fluctuations $h^{\prime }$ in ${\it\phi}{-}z$ at $y^{+}=2.5$ (based on inlet condition). (a) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ and (b) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$.

Figure 5

Figure 5. Two-point spatial correlation of enthalpy fluctuations $p_{zz}(\pm s)$ at $y^{+}=2.5$ (based on inlet condition); (——) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ and (– – –) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$.

Figure 6

Figure 6. (a) Comparison of streamwise distributions of the bulk enthalpy $h_{b}$, (——) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$, (– – –) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$, (▫) $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ and (▵) $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow 0}$; and (b) Nusselt number ratio along the pipe, (——) supercritical fluid, (▫) constant property fluid.

Figure 7

Figure 7. (a) Mean enthalpy $\tilde{h}/\tilde{h}_{w}$ and (b) streamwise velocity $\tilde{u} _{z}$ at $z=15$; (——) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$, (– – –) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$, (▫) $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ and (▵) $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow 0}$.

Figure 8

Figure 8. Enthalpy fluctuations $h_{rms}^{\prime }$ at $z=15$; (——) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$, (– – –) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$, (▫) $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ and (▵) $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow 0}$.

Figure 9

Figure 9. Wall-normal heat flux $q_{r}$ at $z=15$ (a) $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ and $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow 0}$ and (b) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ and $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$; (——) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ and $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$, (– – –) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$ and $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow 0}$, (▫) $\overline{{\it\alpha}}\partial \overline{h}/\partial r$, (▵) $\overline{{\it\alpha}^{\prime }\partial h^{\prime }/\partial r}$, (▿) $-\overline{{\it\rho}u_{r}^{\prime \prime }h^{\prime \prime }}Re_{{\it\tau}0}Pr_{0}$.

Figure 10

Figure 10. (a) PDF of radial velocity fluctuations $u_{r}^{\prime \prime }$, (b) PDF of streamwise velocity fluctuations $u_{z}^{\prime \prime }$, at two different wall-normal positions, and (c) turbulent shear stress profile $\overline{{\it\rho}u_{r}^{\prime \prime }u_{z}^{\prime \prime }}$; (——) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$, (– – –) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$ and symbols $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ ($\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow 0}$) at $z=15$.

Figure 11

Figure 11. Fractional contribution to the (a) radial turbulent heat flux $\overline{{\it\rho}u_{r}^{\prime \prime }h^{\prime \prime }}$ and (b) Reynolds shear stress $\overline{{\it\rho}u_{r}^{\prime \prime }u_{z}^{\prime \prime }}$ at $z=15$; (——) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$, (– – –) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$.

Figure 12

Figure 12. Turbulence kinetic energy $k=1/2\widetilde{u_{i}^{\prime \prime }u_{i}^{\prime \prime }}$ budgets at $z=15$ (a) $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ ($\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow 0}$), (b) (——) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ and (– – –) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$. Note, the profiles for $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ ($\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow 0}$) are equivalent to $z=0$ for the SC cases.

Figure 13

Figure 13. Largest components of $E_{k}^{(1)}$ and $E_{k}^{(2)}$; (——) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$, (– – –) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$.

Figure 14

Figure 14. Wall-normal turbulent heat flux $-\overline{{\it\rho}u_{r}^{\prime \prime }h^{\prime \prime }}$ budgets at $z=15$, (——) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$ and $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$, (– – –) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$ and $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow 0}$.

Figure 15

Figure 15. Componential contributions to the skin friction. The lines indicate the individual terms as given in (5.13) and the symbols indicate the locally computed skin friction $C_{f}$, (a) (——) $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$, (– – –) $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow 0}$; (b) (——) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$, (– – –) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$.

Figure 16

Figure 16. Componential contributions to the Nusselt number. The lines indicate the individual terms in (5.15) and the symbols indicate the locally computed Nusselt number $Nu$, (a) (——) $\text{CP}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$; (b) (——) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow \infty }$, (– – –) $\text{SC}_{K\rightarrow 0}$.

Nemati et al.supplemenatry movie

Velocity and enthalpy contour plots at a radial plane close to the wall and several cross sectional planes of the pipe.

Download Nemati et al.supplemenatry movie(Video)
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