Modeling Heat and Mass Transfer in Laminar Forced Convection in A Vertical Channel: Influence of Inlet Fluid Temperature

Abstract

The phenomena of water vapor condensation in the presence of gas flow in channels are of considerable importance in the energy field. The aim of the present study is to investigate numerically the effect of inlet temperature on an upward laminar forced convection airflow in a channel whose walls interact with the external environment. Based on simplifying assumptions, the flow, whose thermo-physical properties depend on temperature and relative humidity, has been modeled by the Navier-Stokes equations and the flow conservation equation. The finite volume method was used to discretize the equations, and the resulting systems of algebraic equations were solved using the Thomas and Gauss algorithms. Numerical simulations carried out with fluid inlet temperatures of 305.15K, 310.15K and 323.15K and an ambient temperature of 298.15K enabled detailed study of the flow structure and hydrodynamic fields. The numerical results obtained, presented in the form of axial and radial profiles, iso values and Nusselt numbers, reveal the important role of fluid inlet temperature in heat and mass transfer in a vertical channel. The transfer rates obtained at the channel inlet and outlet are different, with latent mode heat transport dominating.