Faculty Publications
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://idr.nitk.ac.in/handle/123456789/18736
Publications by NITK Faculty
Browse
6 results
Search Results
Item Numerical Simulations of Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer through Aluminum and Copper Metal Foam Heat Exchanger–A Comparative Study(Taylor and Francis Ltd. michael.wagreich@univie.ac.at, 2020) Kotresha, B.; Gnanasekaran, N.This article discusses about a numerical simulation of a metal foam heat exchanger system carried out by a commercial software. A metal foam layer is attached to the bottom of the heat exchanger to absorb heat from the exhaust hot gas leaving the system. Two types of metal foams with two different pores per inch (PPI) values are considered for heat transfer enhancement. Similarly, two different materials Aluminum and copper, that poses high thermal conductivity, metal foams are considered for the present numerical simulations. The heat exchanger system is simulated over a range of 6–30 m/s fluid velocity. The proposed simulations are compared with theoretical and experimental data available in the literature. The goal is to improve the thermal performance of the heat exchanger by decreasing the pressure drop and maximizing the heat transfer rate. Finally, it has been noticed that the velocity of the fluid decreases as PPI increases at the expense of its pressure drop. The copper metal foam gives a maximum increase of 4–10% heat transfer rate compared to aluminum metal foams for a fluid velocity of 30 m/s. © 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Item Various trade-off scenarios in thermo-hydrodynamic performance of metal foams due to variations in their thickness and structural conditions(MDPI, 2021) Trilok, G.; Gnanasekaran, N.; Mobedi, M.The long standing issue of increased heat transfer, always accompanied by increased pressure drop using metal foams, is addressed in the present work. Heat transfer and pressure drop, both of various magnitudes, can be observed in respect to various flow and heat transfer influencing aspects of considered metal foams. In this regard, for the first time, orderly varying pore density (characterized by visible pores per inch, i.e., PPI) and porosity (characterized by ratio of void volume to total volume) along with varied thickness are considered to comprehensively analyze variation in the trade-off scenario between flow resistance minimization and heat transfer augmentation behavior of metal foams with the help of numerical simulations and TOPSIS (Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution) which is a multi-criteria decision-making tool to address the considered multi-objective problem. A numerical domain of vertical channel is modelled with zone of metal foam porous media at the channel center by invoking LTNE and Darcy–Forchheimer models. Metal foams of four thickness ratios are considered (1, 0.75, 0.5 and 0.25), along with varied pore density (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 PPI), each at various porosity conditions of 0.8, 0.85, 0.9 and 0.95 porosity. Numerically obtained pressure and temperature field data are critically analyzed for various trade-off scenarios exhibited under the abovementioned variable conditions. A type of metal foam based on its morphological (pore density and porosity) and configurational (thickness) aspects, which can participate in a desired trade-off scenario between flow resistance and heat transfer, is illustrated. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.Item Performance score based multi-objective optimization for thermal design of partially filled high porosity metal foam pipes under forced convection(Elsevier Ltd, 2022) Jadhav, P.H.; Trilok, G.; Gnanasekaran, N.; Mobedi, M.Optimization study in flow through metal foams for heat exchanging applications is very much essential as it involves variety of fluid flow and structural properties. Moreover, the identification of best combinations of structural parameters of metal foams for simultaneous improvement of heat transfer and pressure drop is a pressing situation. In this work, six different metal foam configurations are considered for the enhancement of heat transfer in a circular conduit. The foam is aluminum with PPI varying from 10 to 45 and almost the same porosity (0.90-0.95). The aluminum foams are chosen from the available literature and they are partially filled in the conduit to reduce the pressure drop. For a constant heat flux condition, the goal is to find out the efficient metal foam and configurations when air is considered as a working fluid. A special attention is paid to the preference between pressure drop and heat transfer enhancements. That is why TOPSIS optimization techniques with five different criteria (contains the combination of the weightage/priority of heat transfer and pressure drop) is used. Based on the numerical results of heat and fluid flow in conduit, it is found that when an equal importance is given to both heat transfer and friction effect, 30 PPI aluminum foam with 80% filling on the inner lateral of the pipe provides the best score as 0.8197. The best configuration and PPI for different preferences between friction and heat transfer enhancements is discussed in details. The Reynolds number varies from 4500 to 16500. © 2021 Elsevier LtdItem Analysis of functionally graded metal foams for the accomplishment of heat transfer enhancement under partially filled condition in a heat exchanger(Elsevier Ltd, 2023) Jadhav, P.H.; Gnanasekaran, N.; Mobedi, M.The use of partially filled high porosity graded aluminum and copper foams is explored to satisfy both heat transfer and pressure drop in a heat exchanger. Both positive and negative orientations are accomplished for the enhancement of heat transfer with reduction in the pressure drop. The present research includes three different configurations M1, M2 and M3 (porous layer inner diameter = 0.06 m, 0.04 m, and 0.02 m, respectively, while outer diameter = 0.10 m) partially filled with positive (i.e., increasing, 20/45 PPI) negative (i.e., decreasing, 45/20 PPI) and compound (i.e., 45 Cu/20 Al PPI) graded porous layer thickness. Each configuration involves three different graded porous layer to present the optimum graded porous layer thickness. The thermo-hydrodynamic characteristics are apprehended by using Darcy Extended Forchheimer (DEF) flow and local thermal non-equilibrium (LTNE) models for the partially filled graded porous structure and k-ω turbulence model is accomplished in open passage flow of the conduit. The decreasing graded foam located inside the models M1 and M2 performed 1.68%–12.85% and 13.42%–23.32% higher heat transfer rate compared to without graded metal foam of models M2 and M3, respectively accompanied with 55.43%–84.02% and 35.69%–50.31% lesser pumping power. © 2022 Elsevier LtdItem Numerical analysis of thermo hydro-dynamics behavior of solar flat plate collector with square and V-cut twisted tape inserts(Taylor and Francis Ltd., 2025) Narendran, G.; Jadhav, P.H.; Gnanasekaran, N.Numerical analysis has been conducted for a solar collector with two circular pipes having semi-circular contact with absorber plate. The tubes are analyzed with and without the inclusion of twisted tape inserts of twist ratio Y = 3 and Y = 4. The comparison between the heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of a plain tube to that fitted with the twisted tape inserts is done and validated against experimental results with good agreement. Additionally, helical twisted tape is modeled with square- and V-cut to analyze its influence on flow and heat transfer phenomenon. V-cut twisted tape inserts act as turbulence promoters, increasing fluid flow and inducing vortex-like motion. As a result, boundary layer around the absorber plate is disrupted with decrease in stagnation temperature, resulting in better heat transfer and more effective absorption and conversion of solar energy. The Nusselt number, friction factor, and heat transfer coefficient variation with the Reynolds number have been studied for the given heat fluxes. It is found that the Nusselt number of the fluid flowing in the plain tube is increased by 76.44% when the tube is fitted with twisted tape inserts. The pressure drop in the tube is found to increase with the presence of the twisted tapes. The average temperature along the length of the circular tube and absorber plate has also been reported. © 2023 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.Item Reconciliation of wire woven mesh porous media in controlling the desired heat transfer and pressure drop(Emerald Publishing, 2025) Trilok, T.; Gnanasekaran, N.; Mobedi, M.Purpose: Despite the reputation of the metal-based porous media for their ability to augment heat transfer as widely witnessed in the literature and practically operating heat exchanging applications, the coexisting penalty of the increased pressure drop demanding increased pumping power poses a major concern that invites the need for an alternate solution to handle this unsought outcome. Therefore, this study aims at providing a better solution to the existing cost and benefit scenarios to benefit a plethora of engineering applications including energy transfer, energy storage and energy conversion. Design/methodology/approach: This work highlights on the property of stacked woven wire mesh porous media such as their stacking types, porous conditions and thickness scenarios that can potentially result in distinct trade-off scenarios. A vertical channel is numerical modelled by using REV scaled modelling technique using Darcy-Forchheimer and local thermal non-equilibrium models to illustrate the possibilities of this variety of trade off scenarios between the desirable heat transfer and the unsought flow resistance. Findings: This work illustrates the advantages of wire mesh-based porous medium and its distinct potential in controlling the existing trade-offs between the cost and benefit aspects. It is found that by varying the features of wire mesh porous media, the interplay between the conflictingly existing characteristics can be much easily handled specific to distinct requirements associated with variety of engineering applications. Originality/value: The study emphasizes on a new solution or methodology to handle the penalty of pressure drop associated with metal-based porous media. Through this study, a novel approach to control the ultimately costing pumping power at the benefit of increased heat transfer is provided considering various requirements that could be associated with any thermal management systems. Various possibilities and potentials of wire mesh porous media are illustrated highlighting on their benefit of ease with which the mentioned goals can be achieved. © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited.