Numerical Investigation of Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow around the Rectangular Flat Plane Confined by a Cylinder under Pulsating Flow

Fluid flow around and heat transfer from a rectangular flat plane with constant uniform heat flux in laminar pulsating flows is studied, and compared with our experimental data. Quantitatively accurate, second-order schemes for time, space, momentum and energy are employed, and fine meshes are adopted. The numerical results agree well with experimental data. Results found that the heat transfer enhancement is caused by the relative low temperature gradient in the thermal boundary layer, and by the lower surface temperature in pulsating flows. In addition, the heat transfer resistance is much lower during reverse flow period than that during forward flow period. The flow reversal period is about 180 degree behind the pulsating pressure waves. Besides, spectrum results of the simulated averaged surface temperature showed that the temperature fluctuates in multiple-peaked modes when the amplitude of the imposed pulsations is larger, whereas the temperature fluctuates in a single-peaked mode when the amplitude of the imposed pulsation is small.