On the use of the periodicity condition in cross-flow tube

Abstract

This paper presents the results of measurements and numerical predictions of turbulent cross-flow through an in-line 7×7 bundle configuration with a constant transverse and longitudinal pitch-to-diameter ratio of 1.44. The experiments are conducted to measure the pressure around tubes, using DPS differential pressure scanner with air flow, in square channel at a Reynolds number of 35000 based on the gap velocity and the tube diameter. The commercial ANSYS FLUENT is used to solve the unsteady Reynolds–Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations. The primary aim of the present study is to search for a turbulent model that could serve as an engineering design tool at a relatively low computational cost. The performances of the Spalart-Allmaras, the RNG k-ε, the Shear Stress Transport k-ω and the second moment closure RSM models are evaluated by comparing their simulation results against experimental data. The second objective is to verify the validity of the periodicity assumption taken account in the most previous numerical works by considering the filled bundle geometry. The CFD results show that the Spalart-Allmaras model on the fine mesh are comparable to the experiments while the periodicity statement did not produce consistently the flow behavior in the 7×7 tube bundle configuration.