Experimental and Numerical Study of Convective Heat Transfer in an Array of Slot Jets

The paper describes a study of convective heat transfer in a multiple-jet systems composed of straight and inclined slot nozzles. The application concerned is the fast cooling of moving strip. The experimental approach involves the application of infrared thermography associated with the steady-state heated foil technique. Three-dimensional numerical simulations performed with the code FLUENT compare agreeably with the IR data. The study aims to determine the effect on the average heat transfer coefficient of the slot Reynolds number up to the value of 100000, the nozzle spacing normalised by the slot hydraulic diameter in the range 6 ≤ W/S ≤ 18, the normalised nozzle emergence length, E/S, from 5 to 17 and the normalised nozzle to strip standoff distance Z/S from 3 to 10. The geometrical arrangements tested include perpendicular (90°) and tilted (60°) nozzles. A thermal entrainment phenomenon is found for cooling system of small width. A corrective factor is derived to account for this effect. The experimental findings are compared with existing correlation; deviations, which are observed at high values of the Reynolds number may reach 25%. The numerical simulation emphasises the benefit to use H₂/N₂ gas mixture to enhance significantly the cooling rate.