Comparison of Different Turbulent Models in Turbulent-Forced Convective Flow and Heat Transfer Inside Rectangular Cross-Sectioned Duct Heating at the Bottom Wall

Abstract

In this study, steady-state turbulent-forced flow and heat transfer in a horizontal smooth rectangular cross-sectioned duct was numerically investigated. The study was carried out in the turbulent flow region where Reynolds number ranges from 1 × 104 to 5 × 104. The flow was developing both hydrodynamically and thermally. The bottom surface of the duct was assumed to be under constant surface temperature. A commercial CFD program Ansys Fluent 12.1 with different turbulent models was used to carry out the numerical study. Different turbulence models (k–ε Standard, k–ε Realizable, k–ε RNG, k–ω Standard and k–ω SST) were used. Based on the present numerical solutions, new engineering correlations were presented for the heat transfer and friction coefficients. The numerical results for different turbulence models were compared with each other and the experimental data available in the literature. It was observed that k–ε turbulence models represented the turbulent flow condition very well for the present study. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2014.