Simulations of three-dimensional laminar forced convection in a plane symmetric sudden expansion are presented for Reynolds numbers where the flow is steady and symmetric. A swirling “jetlike” flow develops near the sidewalls in the separating shear layer, and its impingement on the stepped wall is responsible for the maximum that develops in the Nusselt number adjacent to the sidewalls and for the reverse flow that develops in that region. The maximum Nusselt number on the stepped wall is located inside the primary recirculation flow region and its location does not coincide with the jetlike flow impingement region. The results reveal that the location where the streamwise component of wall shear stress is zero on the stepped walls does not coincide with the outer edge of the primary recirculation flow region near the sidewalls.

Issue Section:
Technical Notes
Keywords:
forced convection, flow simulation, laminar flow, flow instability, swirling flow, jets, shear flow, flow separation, bifurcation, pipe flow
Topics:
Flow (Dynamics), Forced convection, Reynolds number, Swirling flow, Shear stress, Simulation, Geometry, Bifurcation, Laminar flow, Shear (Mechanics)
1.
Armaly
,
B. F.
,
Durst
,
F.
,
Pereira
,
J. C. F.
, and
Schonung
,
B.
,
1983
, “
Experimental and Theoretical Investigation of Backward-Facing Step Flow
,”
J. Fluid Mech.
,
127
, pp.
473
–
496
.
2.
Nie
,
J. H.
, and
Armaly
,
B. F.
,
2003
, “
Reattachment of Three-Dimensional Flow Adjacent to Backward-Facing Step
,”
ASME J. Heat Transfer
,
125
, pp.
422
–
428
.
3.
Goldstein
,
R. J.
,
Eriksen
,
V. L.
,
Olson
,
R. M.
, and
Eckert
,
E. R. G.
,
1970
, “
Laminar Separation, Reattachment, and Transition of the Flow over Downstream-Facing Step
,”
ASME J. Heat Transfer
,
92
, pp.
732
–
741
.
4.
Baughn
,
J. W.
,
Hoffman
,
M. A.
,
Takahashi
,
R. K.
, and
Launder
,
B. E.
,
1984
, “
Local Heat Transfer Downstream of an Abrupt Expansion in a Circular Channel With Constant Wall Heat Flux
,”
ASME J. Heat Transfer
,
106
, pp.
789
–
796
.
5.
Durst
,
F.
,
Melling
,
A.
, and
Whitelaw
,
J. H.
,
1974
, “
Low Reynolds Number Flow Over a Plane Symmetrical Sudden Expansion
,”
J. Fluid Mech.
,
64
, pp.
111
–
128
.
6.
Durst
,
F.
,
Pereira
,
J. C. F.
, and
Tropea
,
C.
,
1993
, “
Plane Symmetric Sudden-Expansion Flow at Low Reynolds numbers
,”
J. Fluid Mech.
,
248
, pp.
567
–
581
.
7.
Sobey
,
I. J.
, and
Drazin
,
P. G.
,
1986
, “
Bifurcations of Two-Dimensional Channel Flows
,”
J. Fluid Mech.
,
171
, pp.
263
–
287
.
8.
Fearn
,
R. M.
,
Mullin
,
T.
, and
Cliffe
,
K. A.
,
1990
, “
Nonlinear Flow Phenomena in a Symmetric Sudden Expansion
,”
J. Fluid Mech.
,
211
, pp.
595
–
608
.
9.
Patel, S., and Drikakis, D., 2003, “Numerical Effects on the Prediction of Flow instabilities in Channels With Sudden-Expansion,” Proc. of IMECE’03, ASME-IMECE2003-55616, CD-ROM, ASME, New York.
10.
Cherdron
,
W.
,
Durst
,
F.
, and
Whitelaw
,
J. H.
,
1978
, “
Asymmetric Flows and Instabilities in Symmetric Ducts with Sudden Expansion
,”
J. Fluid Mech.
,
84
, pp.
13
–
31
.
11.
Chiang
,
T. P.
,
Sheu
,
T. W. H.
, and
Wang
,
S. K.
,
2000
, “
Side Wall Effects on the Structure of Laminar Flow Over a Plane-Symmetric Sudden Expansion
,”
Comput. Fluids
,
29
, pp.
467
–
492
.
12.
Shah, R. K., and London, A. L., 1978, Laminar Forced Convection in Ducts, Academic Press, New York.
13.
Nie, J. H., and Armaly, B. F., 2003, “Three-Dimensional Forced Convection Flow in Plane Symmetric Sudden Expansion,” Proceedings of IMECE’03, ASME-IMECE2003-41428, CD-ROM, ASME, New York.
Copyright © 2004
 by ASME
You do not currently have access to this content.