Experimental and numerical studies of turbulent flow in an in-line tube bundles

¹ Laboratoire d’aérohydrodynamique naval, Département de Génie Mécanique, Mechanical Engineering Faculty, USTO Oran 31000 Algeria
e-mail: ladjedelomar@yahoo.com ; adjloutl@yahoo.fr ; aounallah_2000@yahoo.fr
² Laboratoire d’aeronautique et systemes propulsive, departement de genie mecanique, mechanical engineering faculty, usto oran, 31000 algeria,
e-mail: imine_omar@yahoo.fr ; yahiaoui_tayeb@yahoo.fr

Abstract

In the present paper an experimental and a numerical simulation of the turbulent flow in an in-line tube bundles have been performed. The experiments were carried out using a subsonic wind tunnel. The pressure distributions along the tubes (22 circumferential pressure taping) were determined for a variation of the azimuthal angle from 0 to 360deg. The drag and lift forces are measured using the TE 44 balance. The Navier-Stokes equations of the turbulent flow are solved using Reynolds Stress and K-ε, turbulence models (RANS) provided by Fluent CFD code. An adapted grid using static pressure, pressure coefficient and velocity gradient, furthermore, a second order upwind scheme were used. The obtained results from the experimental and numerical studies show a satisfactory agreement.