Numerical Investigation of Laminar Flow Structure in U-Bend Duct with Rectangular Heating Source

Thermofluids properties inside the pipe bend with a heat source in the bending section are investigated numerically.In this study, a U-bend pipe with constant diameter and length is utilized for the geometry of 1.5 lengths of inlet and outlet sections and a diameter of 0.5 m equipped with the rectangular heating source with heater width to diameter ratio was w/d=0.06,0.13, 0.21, and 0.26.The heat power input was varied by 100, 200, 400, and 600 W/m 2, and the air flow at Reynolds numbers in the range of 380, 760, 1100, and 1500.The control volume technique was accomplished by ANSYS-Fluent v.2020 to solve a steady, laminar, and fully developed flow with no-slip wall conditions.Air is employed as a working fluid, assuming it is continuous.The continuity equation and the Navier-Stokes equations have been solved.In conclusion, the results showed that the maximum Nu increased by 12, 24, 32, and 45% as used cases of width-to-diameter ratio (w/d = 0.06, 0.13, 0.21, and 0.26) respectively.However, the rate of heat transfer of the source U-tube was augmented by increasing the Reynolds number and the power of the source, and this led to an increase in the Nu was comparable to the coefficient of the heat transfer, and the rate of heat transfer also increased dramatically.