Results of a study of heat transfer in the vicinity of a backward-facing step of a uniform temperature are presented. Temperature distribution are measured using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The heat transfer upstream of the step is shown to be strongly enhanced by streamline curvature. Downstream of the step the heat transfer increases monotonically in the streamwise direction but is always less than the flat-plate value. For the largest step investigated, the average heat transfer in the reverse flow region is reduced to 56 percent of the flat-plate results, in agreement with an existing theory for laminar separated flow originally developed for a cavity. The heat transfer is systematically smaller for smaller steps. For all steps, the average heat transfer is described by the equation, St = 0.787(Res)−0.55 (s/xs)0.72.
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An Experimental Study of Laminar Heat Transfer Downstream of Backsteps
W. Aung
W. Aung
Heat Transfer Program, National Science Foundation, and Mechanical Engineering Department, Howard University, Washington, D. C. 20550
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W. Aung
Heat Transfer Program, National Science Foundation, and Mechanical Engineering Department, Howard University, Washington, D. C. 20550
J. Heat Transfer. Nov 1983, 105(4): 823-829 (7 pages)
Published Online: November 1, 1983
Article history
Received:
September 28, 1982
Online:
October 20, 2009
Citation
Aung, W. (November 1, 1983). "An Experimental Study of Laminar Heat Transfer Downstream of Backsteps." ASME. J. Heat Transfer. November 1983; 105(4): 823–829. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.3245668
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