A NUMERICAL STUDY OF UNSTEADY FLUID FLOW IN IN-LINE AND STAGGERED TUBE BANKS

• Published in: Journal of fluids and structures 1999-08, Vol.13 (6), p.723-754
• Main Authors: BEALE, S.B., SPALDING, D.B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Devices using thermal energy; Energy; Energy. Thermal use of fuels; Exact sciences and technology; Fluid dynamics; Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications); Heat exchangers (included heat transformers, condensers, cooling towers); Physics; Rotational flow and vorticity; Separated flows
• ISSN: 0889-9746; 1095-8622
• DOI: 10.1006/jfls.1999.0231

This paper is concerned with the results of numerical calculations for transient flow in in-line-square and rotated-square tube banks with a pitch-to-diameter ratio of 2:1, in the Reynolds number range of 30–3000. Transient-periodic behaviour is induced by the consideration of two or more modules, with a sinusoidal span-wise perturbation being applied in the upstream module. There is a triode-like effect, whereby the downstream response to the stimulus is amplified, and there is a net gain in the crosswise flow component. When an appropriate feedback mechanism is provided, a stable transient behaviour is obtained, with alternate vortices being shed from each cylinder. Flow visualization studies of the results of the calculations are presented together with quantitative details of pressure drop, lift, drag and heat transfer. For the staggered bank, a wake-switching or Coanda effect was observed as the serpentine-shaped wake attached to alternate sides of the downstream cylinder. The induced response is independent of the amplitude and frequency of the applied disturbance, including the case of spontaneous behaviour with no excitation mechanism. For the in-line case where each cylinder is in the shadow of the previous one, the motion is less pronounced; however, a shear-layer instability associated with the alternating spin of shed vortices was observed. In this case, the response was found to be somewhat dependent on the frequency of the applied disturbance, and a transient motion could not be induced spontaneously in the absence of an explicit feedback mechanism. Calculated Strouhal numbers were in fair agreement with experimental data: for the staggered geometry, they had values of between 0·26 and 0·35, or from −21 to +6% higher than measured values, while for the in-line geometry, the Strouhal numbers ranged between 0·09 and 0·12, or about 20–40% lower than experimental values.