Analysis of Combined Radiation and Forced Convection Heat Transfer in 3D Laminar Flow over an Inclined Forward Facing Step

Abstract

In the current study, a numerical investigation of three-dimensional combined convection-radiation heat transfer over an inclined forward facing step (FFS) in a horizontal rectangular duct is presented. The fluid is treated as a gray, absorbing, emitting and scattering medium. To simulate the incline surface of FFS, the blocked-off method is employed in this study. The set of governing equations for gas flow are solved numerically using the CFD technique to obtain the temperature and velocity fields. Since the gas is considered as a radiating medium, all of the convection, conduction and radiation heat transfer mechanisms are presented in the energy equation. For computation of radiative term in energy equation, the radiative transfer equation (RTE) is solved numerically by the discrete ordinates method (DOM) to find the divergence of radiative heat flux distribution inside the radiating medium. The effects of optical thickness, radiation-conduction parameter and albedo coefficient on heat transfer behavior of the system are carried out.