Computation of enhanced turbulent heat transfer in a channel with periodicribs

This study evaluates low Reynolds number models of turbulence for numerical computations on the heat transfer and fluid flow behavior in a rectangular channel with streamwise-periodic ribs mounted on one of the principal wall s. The models include k - <(epsilon)over tilde> models of Launder and Sharm a (1974), Chien (1982), k - <(epsilon)over tilde> model of Lin and Hwang (1 998), Wilcox's k - omega model (Wilcox, 1994) and Durbin's model k - epsilo n - v(2) (Durbin, 1995). The numerical results show that all these models c an predict the flowfield reasonably well, and the inclusion of the Yap term (Yap, 1987) in the epsilon - equation (or <(epsilon)over tilde> - equation ) can further improve the prediction in these k - epsilon models, k - <(eps ilon)over tilde> model and k - epsilon - v(2) model. However these models b ehave differently in heat transfer computations. The k - omega model leads to too low a level of heat transfer and turbulence. Among these k - epsilon models and the k - <(epsilon)over tilde> model Lin's model with the Yap te rm predicts the heat transfer level best. Durbin's model with extra v(2),f equations and the Yap term exhibits further improvement.