Abstract:
In this study, the flow and heat transfer characteristics of pulsating circular air jets impinging on a flat surface were numerically analyzed. The jet velocity pulsated in time. The objective of the work is to investigate the influence of the jet Reynolds number, pulsation amplitude and pulsation frequency on the rate of heat transfer from the target hot surface. For the analysis, a computer program, based on the control volume method and SIMPLE algorithm, was developed. Laminar flow with the time averaged jet Reynolds numbers between 300 and 700 were analyzed. The pulsation amplitude is ranged between 0.0V(0) (steady jet) and 0.8V(0) (m/s) (V-0 is period averaged jet velocity), and the frequency is ranged between 1 and 6 Hz. The nozzle-to-plate distance was kept constant at H/d=3. From the simulation results, it was observed that at any instant of the pulsation period, the local Nusselt number is maximum at the stagnation point, and it decreases along the plate. This decrease in the local Nusselt number is not monatomic as in the steady jet cases. It has local maximum and minimum values (fluctuations) due to the moving recirculating flow regions along the bottom plate. At low frequencies, the time (period) averaged stagnation point Nusselt numbers are lower than the corresponding steady jet Nusselt numbers. However, with the increasing frequency, the stagnation point Nusselt number increases and become higher than the steady jet Nusselt number.