Numerical Investigation of Heat Transfer Enhancement on a Small Scale Vortex Generator

The heat transfer characteristic and flow structure of fluid in the rectangular channel with different height vortex generators in small scale are investigated with numerical simulation. Meantime, the properties of heat transfer and flow of fluid in the rectangular channel are compared with the channel which located small scale vortex generator. The variation law of local heat transfer and flow structure in channel is obtained. The mechanism of heat transfer enhancement of small scale vortex generators is discussed in detail. It is found that the influence of vortex generator on heat transfer is not in proportion to the size of vortex generator. What is more, turbulent flow structure near the wall, which influences the temperature distribution near the wall, induces the variety of local heat transfer. The fluid movement towards to the wall causes the heat transfer enhanced. On the contrary, the fluid movement away from the wall decreases the local heat transfer.