An Efficient and Robust Algorithm for Incompressible Flow and its Application in Heat Transfer Enhancement

Abstract

Based on the detailed study on the SIMPLE-like algorithms, a novel algorithm named CLEARER was formulated for the incompressible flow on staggered grid, collocated orthogonal grid and non-orthogonal curvilinear grid respectively. Compared with the reliable benchmark solutions, it was proven that current CLEARER algorithm can predict the numerical results accurately, the convergence rate and robustness of CLEARER algorithm are much higher that those of the companion SIMPLE-like algorithms. With the simplified pressure correction equation, CLEARER algorithm can also overcome the very severe grid non-orthogonality.The CLEARER algorithm was then extended to three-dimensional non-orthogonal curvilinear coordinate and was adopted to solve the periodically developed flow in the triangular wavy fin-and-tube heat exchanger. The influence of wavy angle, wavy density, fin pitch and tube diameter on the pressure drop and heat transfer performance under different Reynolds numbers was analyzed from the viewpoint of field synergy principle.