Effect of rib spacing on heat transfer and friction in a rectangular channel with 45° angled rib turbulators on one/two walls

An experimental investigation of forced convection heat transfer in a rectangular channel (aspect ratio AR = 5) with angled rib turbulators, inclined at 45°, is presented. The angled ribs were deployed with parallel orientations on one or two surfaces of the channel. The convective fluid was air, and the Reynolds number varied from 9000 to 35,500. The ratio of rib height to hydraulic diameter (e/D) was 0.09, while four rib pitch-to-height ratios (p/e) were studied: 6.66, 10.0, 13.33, and 20.0. The aim of the work was to study the effect of rib spacing on the thermal performance of the ribbed channel. The maps of local heat transfer coefficient in the inter-rib regions have been reconstructed by liquid crystal thermography. The thermal performance of each ribbed channel is identified by the average Nusselt number and by the friction factor. Superior heat transfer performance was found at the optimal rib pitch-to-height ratio of 13.33 for the one-ribbed wall channel and at p/e = 6.66-10 for the two-ribbed wall channel.