Heat Transfer Characterization of Two Isothermal Circular Cylinders in Proximity

Abstract

Heat transfer on two nearby isothermal circular cylinders of equal diameter immersed in a uniform crossflow at Re=120 and Pr=0.7 was numerically studied. We consider all possible arrangements of the two cylinders in terms of the distance between the two cylinders and the inclination angle with respect to the direction of the main flow. It turns out that significant changes in the characteristics of heat transfer are noticed depending on how they are positioned, resulting in quantitative changes in heat transfer coefficients of both cylinders. Collecting all of the numerical results obtained, we propose a contour diagram for averaged Nusselt number for each of the two cylinders. The geometrical symmetry implied in the flow configuration allows one to use those diagrams to estimate heat transfer rates on two isothermal circular cylinders of equal diameter arbitrarily positioned in physical space with respect to the main flow direction.