Heat transfer in a rotor-stator system with a radial inflow

The object of the present work is to produce a better understanding of the flow and heat transfer process occurring in a rotor-stator system, with a l ow aspect ratio and subjected to a superposed radial inflow. The theoretica l approach presented in a previous paper (Debuchy et al., Eur. J. Mech. B-F luids 17 (6) (1998) 791-810) in the framework of laminar. steady, axisymmet ric Row is extended to heat transfer effects. The asymptotic model is simpl ified and new integral relations including temperature are indicated. The e xperiments. made in a rotor-stator system with a heated stationary disc, ar e in agreement with the features of the model in the explored range of the gap ratio. Ekman and Rossby numbers. The data include radial and circumfere ntial mean velocity components, air temperature inside the cavity, temperat ure and temperature-velocity correlations, and also local Nusselt numbers m easured on the stationary disc. The flow structure near the axis is found t o be strongly affected by the presence of a superposed inflow, as already o bserved under isothermal conditions. By contrast, the mean temperature, as well as the correlations concerning velocity and temperature are smaller wh en a radial inflow is assigned. (C) 2001 Editions scientifiques et medicale s Elsevier SAS.