Flow and forced convection heat transfer in cross flow of non-Newtonian fluids over a circular cylinder

Abstract

The steady and incompressible flow of power-law type non-Newtonian fluids across an unconfined, heated circular cylinder is investigated numerically to determine the dependence of the individual drag components and of the heat transfer characteristics on power-law index (0.5≤n≤1.4), Prandtl number (1≤Pr≤100), and Reynolds number (5≤Re≤40). The momentum and energy equations are expressed in the stream function/vorticity formulation and are solved using a second-order accurate finite difference method to determine the pressure drag and frictional drag as well as the local and surface-averaged Nusselt numbers and to map the temperature field near the cylinder. The accuracy of the numerical procedure is established using previously available numerical and analytical results for momentum and heat transfer in Newtonian and power-law fluids. The results reported herein provide fundamental knowledge of the flow and heat transfer behavior for the flow of non-Newtonian fluids over a circular cylinder; these results further show that the effect of the power-law index on such behavior is strongly conditioned by the kinematic conditions and less so by the type of thermal boundary condition prescribed at the cylinder surface.