HEAT TRANSFER AND FLUID FLOW ANALYSIS OF INTERRUPTED-WALL CHANNELS, WITH APPLICATION TO HEAT EXCHANGERS.

Results were obtained for a range of Reynolds numbers and for several values of a dimensionless geometrical parameter characterizing the streamwise length L of the individual plate segments which make up the interrupted walls. The Prandtl number was fixed at 0. 7 for all the calculations. The basic heat transfer and pressure drop results were employed to investigate whether an interrupted-wall channel experiences an augmented heat transfer rate compared with that for a parallel plate channel. For conditions of equal heat transfer surface area and equal pumping power, appreciably higher heat transfer rates prevailed in the interrupted-wall channel for a wide range of operating conditions. The augmentation was especially marked for relatively short channels and high Reynolds numbers. The results also demonstrated the existence of a new type of fully developed regime, one that is periodic.