Convective flow and heat transfer in a channel containing multiple heated obstacles

The present work details the numerical simulation of forced convective, incompressible flow in a channel with an array of heated obstacles attached to one wall. Three levels of Nusselt numbers are emphasized in this systematic analysis: local distributions along the obstacle exposed faces, mean values for individual faces, and overall obstacle mean values. This study details the effects of variations in the obstacle height, width, spacing, and number, along with the obstacle thermal conductivity, fluid flow rate, and heating method, to illustrate important fundamental and practical results. The periodicity of the mean Nusselt number is established, relative to the ninth obstacle, at the 5% and 10% difference levels (eighth and seventh obstacles, respectively). The periodic behavior of the velocity components and temperature distributions are also explicitly demonstrated for the array. Extensive presentation and evaluation of the mean Nusselt numbers for all obstacles within the array is fully documented. The results pave the way for different applications involving multiple heated obstacles.