On the Correlation Between Vorticity Strength and Convective Heat Transfer

Vorticity is an inherent feature of fluid flow and has an essential role in the convective heat and mass transfer. The present study aims at determining quantitatively the relationship between the streamwise vorticity flux Ω, and the convective heat transfer, characterized by Nusselt number Nu. Physical vortices are created by using a vorticity generator inserted on the wall of a heated straight channel. It is shown that the streamwise variations of Ω and Nu are related through a power law of the type Nu ≈ α(Ω − C₁)^β + C₂.