Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in Serpentine Channels at Low Reynolds Numbers

Fluid flow and heat transfer in a two-dimensional serpentine channel was investigated numerically for Reynolds numbers between 175 and 725. A fifth-order finite differencing scheme was employed to carry out the computations. Three different geometries were studied. All three geometries consisted of the same wave length and the same shape of top and bottom walls, but different channel heights. In addition, two different inlet/outlet boundary conditions were investigated. It was found that the heat transfer as well as the pressure drop increase with decreasing channel height. For a given channel height, the results show that the time-averaged mean Nusselt number as well as the time averaged mean friction factor scale linearly with the Reynolds number.Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Project 6