An experimental study on convection heat transfer from an array of discrete heat sources

Convection heat transfer from an array of discrete heat sources inside a rectangular channel has been investigated experimentally for air. The lower surface of the channel was equipped with 8×4 flush-mounted heat sources subjected to uniform heat flux; the sidewalls and the upper wall were insulated and adiabatic. The experimental parametric study was made for an aspect ratio of AR=2, Reynolds numbers 864≤ReDh≤7955, and modified Grashof numbers Gr*=1.72×108 to 2.76×109. From the experimental measurements, surface temperature distributions of the discrete heat sources were obtained and effects of Reynolds and Grashof numbers on these temperatures were investigated. Furthermore, Nusselt number distributions were calculated for different Reynolds and Grashof numbers. Results show that surface temperatures increase with increasing Grashof number and decrease with increasing Reynolds number. However, with the increase in the buoyancy affected secondary flow and the onset of instability, temperatures level off and even drop as a result of heat transfer enhancement. This outcome can also be observed from the variation of the row-averaged Nusselt number showing an increase towards the exit.