Heat transfer characteristics of pulsating flow in a straight channel with rhombic-shaped expanding chamber: A numerical study

The combination of passive and active heat transfer recovery techniques in channel flows has significant potential in terms of increasing thermal performance. Therefore, this study focused on the numerical examination of the flow and thermal behavior of pulsating flow in a straight duct containing a rhombus chamber. In the context of the study, iterations were solved using the finite volume method (FVM). The study was carried out for different pulsating amplitudes (A: 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, and 0.8), Strouhal numbers (St: 1, 2, 3, 4), and Reynolds numbers (200 ≤ Re ≤ 800). The surfaces other than the adiabatic lengths at the inlet and outlet of the duct were kept constant at Tw = 360 K. Results were compared with the results of the steady flow case. The effects of pulsating velocity and oscillatory parameters on Nusselt number, pressure drop, and performance factor were discussed. Velocity and temperature images were presented for different Reynolds numbers and pulsating components in the channel. The findings revealed that although the pulsating parameters significantly enhanced the heat transfer at increasing Reynolds numbers, they had a fairly low effect on heat transfer at the same Reynolds number. It was observed that at Re = 800, the Nusselt number formed a peak at St = 3 for all tested pulsating amplitudes. For the parameters of Re = 800, A = 0.6, and St = 2, heat transfer and performance factor in pulsating flow increased by 8.96 and 8.22 times, respectively, compared to steady flow conditions.