Forced Convection From a Pair Of Spheres: A Three-Temperature Problem

Abstract

Interaction of spherical particles in a fluid flow is important in combustion, chemical processes and air pollution. In this study, a recently developed technique for characterizing multi-temperature convective heat transfer is used to investigate convection from a pair of spheres with different surface temperatures. The technique entails numerical solutions of the full set of governing equations and subsequent solutions of the energy equation with perturbed boundary conditions. Steady-state heat transfer in intermediate Reynolds number flows over spheres in side-by-side and tandem arrangements in a water tunnel is studied. The results are expressed in terms of local and total Nusselt numbers. The variation of sphere-sphere and sphere-fluid Nusselt numbers with flow conditions is examined.