Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering, Vol.76, No.4, 728-737, 1998
Numerical prediction of wall mass transfer rates in turbulent flow through a 90 degrees two-dimensional bend
The present paper reports a numerical study of mass transfer in a curved channel flow using a low Reynolds number k-epsilon model modified to include the influence of curvature on the turbulent transport. Predictions were obtained of now through a 90 degrees 2-D bend for Reynolds numbers of Re = 2 x 10(4), 10(5) and 10(6), curvature ratio's of R-c/d = 1, 1.5 and 3, and Schmidt numbers of Sc = 500, 1 500 and 5 000. Based on the numerial simulations, the value of the mass transfer coefficient, k, was observed to generally decrease and increase along the inner and outer walls, respectively, compared to the value in a straight duct. The behaviour appears to be sensitive to both the curvature ratio and Reynolds number, being most pronounced for the case of tight bends and low Reynolds numbers.