ARTICLE:

• CONVECTIVE HEAT TRANSFER OVER A 3-D BACKWARD FACING STEP  download article

Darrell W. Pepper
University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NV 89154 USA

David B. Carrington
Nevada Center for Advanced Computational Methods, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, 4505 Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV 89154-4027; Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545 USA

ABSTRACT

An h-adapting, finite element algorithm is used to calculate incompressible fluid flow and heat transfer over a 3-D backward facing step (30H × 12H × H). The finite element model incorporates simple features to enhance solution speed and reduce storage; Petrov-Galerkin weighting is used for the advection terms. Local mesh refinement is based on mesh subdivision and resolution of virtual node interfaces among the hexahedral elements. Results show that upper and lower recirculation zones in the 3-D solutions tend to approach conditions obtained in the 2-D case for a 3-D channel width of 12H.

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