Integral transform analysis of convective heat transfer within wavy walls channels

Abstract

The generalized integral transform technique (GITT) is employed in the hybrid numerical-analytical solution of the two-dimensional Navier–Stokes and energy equations in wavy walls channels. The flow is considered laminar and incompressible for a Newtonian fluid with temperature-independent physical properties, while the walls temperatures are kept uniform along the channel length. The streamfunction-only formulation is adopted, which eliminates the pressure field and automatically satisfies the continuity equation. A thorough convergence analysis is performed for the streamfunction field, temperature field, friction factor, and local Nusselt number to illustrate the method robustness. The verification of the present GITT results is also performed by comparing the centerline velocity, friction factor, average temperature, and local Nusselt number with equivalent results from the COMSOL Multiphysics simulation platform, with overall very good agreement. The influence of the governing parameters such as Reynolds number and wavy-wall amplitude on the velocity and temperature fields is also analyzed, demonstrating their importance in the convective heat transfer behavior.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.