Vortex dynamics and heat transfer of longitudinal vortex generators in a rectangular channel

This paper reports a numerical investigation of fluid flow and heat transfer in a rectangular channel with delta-shaped winglet longitudinal vortex generators (LVGs) under different configurations. In addition to the conventional common-flow-down configuration and the common-flow-up configuration, a unique mixed configuration is suggested. The “method of images” is successfully adopted to analyze the dynamics of the longitudinal vortices due to wall interference. The Nusselt number, friction factor and overall performance coefficient for the three configurations are compared at various Reynolds numbers (all less than 2200), LVG row numbers, channel heights, and LVG aspect ratios. It is found that the channel height and LVG aspect ratio are the two most critical factors influencing the effectiveness of the different LVG configurations, which may explain why inconsistent conclusions have been presented by previous studies comparing the performance of the common-flow-down and common-flow-up configurations. When the channel height is relatively small, the unique mixed configuration is found to be the most effective at enhancing fluid mixing (and therefore improving heat transfer) at streamwise cross sections. When the LVG aspect ratio becomes large, the common-flow-down configuration outperforms the common-flow-up configuration. This paper sheds some insight on how to design the optimal LVG configuration for enhancing heat transfer performance.