Effect of Swirl on Thermal and Hydraulic Properties of Ice Slurry Flow

Abstract

Accumulation of ice particles inside the pipes of an ice slurry refrigeration system is a problem that should be avoided to ensure the efficient performance of the system. In the present research, the swirling flow of ice slurry is numerically investigated using the Eulerian-Eulerian model coupled with the kinetic theory of granular flow. The swirling flow is generated by twisted tapes inserted into a smooth pipe. The results show that by swirling the flow, the ice particle diameter may be increased up to about three times larger than the typical particle diameter used in the ice slurry, without particle accumulation. Moreover, for the swirling flow of ice slurry with the ice particle diameter of 0.3 mm, the rate of mass transfer increases 25% while the ice volume fraction at the pipe outlet decreases 30%, compared to the non-swirling flow. Based on the obtained results of swirling flow, correlations for friction factor, mean Nusselt number, and performance parameter are proposed.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hazhir Ahmadkermaj

Hazhir Ahmadkermaj received the B.S. degree from Mechanical Engineering Department at Tabriz University, Tabriz, Iran in 2015. He recently completed the M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. He has interest to work in the field of thermal energy storage system using the latent heat of fusion, numerical simulation of two phase flow and renewable energy systems.

Reza Maddahian

Reza Maddahian received the B.S. degree from the Isfahan University of Technology in 2004, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from the Sharif University of Technology in 2012, all in mechanical engineering. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran. His current research activity focuses on multiphase flow, crude oil desalination, process tomography, and swirling turbulent flows.

Mehdi Maerefat

Mehdi Maerefat is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Tarbiat Modares University (TMU), Tehran, Iran. He received his Ph.D. from Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, in 1990. He is the head of the Heat Transfer Laboratory in TMU. His research interests include heat and mass transfer, energy in buildings, thermal comfort, and bio-heat transfer. He has coauthored more than 140 refereed journal and conference publications.