Cfd analysis of momentum and heat transfer around a pair of square cylinders in side-by-side arrangement

Abstract

A numerical investigation is conducted to analyze the steady and unsteady laminar flow and heat transfer in a channel with two square bars (of equal diameters) arranged side-by-side. The analysis is carried out for Reynolds number = 10-100, Prandtl number = 0.7-50, for transverse separation distance between the bars (i.e., gap ratio) of 1.5, 2, 2.5, 5, and 10 at the blockage ratio of 1/18. The results found here are in good agreement with previously published data. The effects of gap ratio, Reynolds number, and Prandtl number on the detailed kinematics of the flow and the heat transfer are presented. The engineering parameters such as total drag coefficient, average Nusselt number, and Strouhal number are calculated for the preceding range of conditions. It is observed that the overall drag coefficient decreases with increasing Reynolds number, whereas the average Nusselt number for the square cylinders increases with increasing Reynolds number and/or Prandtl number for all the values of gap ratios studied. The percentage enhancement in the value of the average Nusselt number is found to be more than 76% for the range of settings covered here. © Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.