Experimental investigation of turbulent transport of momentum and energy in a heated rod bundle Original Research Article

Turbulent air flow in a central channel of heated 37-rod bundles with triangular array at two different pitch-to-diameter ratios (P/D=1.12 and P/D=1.06) was investigated. Measurements were performed with a hot-wire probe with x-wires and an additional temperature wire. Time mean velocities, time mean fluid temperatures, wall shear stresses and wall temperatures, turbulent quantities such as the turbulent kinetic energy, all Reynolds stresses and all turbulent heat fluxes were measured at two different pitch-to-diameter ratios in a central channel of the bundle. It is shown that with decreasing gap width the turbulence field in rod bundles deviates significantly from that in a circular tube. Also, data on the power spectral density functions of the velocity and temperature fluctuations are presented. These data show the existence of large-scale periodic fluctuations of velocity and temperature in the gap region of two adjacent rods. These fluctuations are responsible for the high intersubchannel heat and momentum exchange. Spectral measurements with two hot wire probes imply a distinct similarity of motion of vortices in adjacent subchannels of the bundle.