Heat and Fluid Flow Around a Sphere With Cylindrical Bore

Abstract

This work is devoted to the numerical investigation of heat and fluid flow past a sphere with a centric, cylindrical bore. Such spherical rings are of interest in many technological processes. In chemical reactors, for example, spherical rings are used as a catalyst with an increased reacting surface. Motivated by this fact, we considered spherical rings with different bores and different orientations in flow regimes corresponding to Reynolds numbers from 10 up to 300. The results show a significant influence of the bore diameter on the symmetry and hence the steadiness of the flow field. The Nusselt number can be increased, which leads to a moderate rise in the drag coefficient. Thereby, the effect of the borehole depends on the Reynolds number, the bore diameter, and the angle of attack. For that reason, drag forces and total heat transfers do not simply follow the heat exchanging surface area. Based on the presented results, new correlations are given for both the drag coefficient and the Nusselt number; correlations which incorporate the bore geometry and the bore orientation in the flow field.