Study on flow structure behind multiple bluff bodies in a tandem arrangement in a channel under the effect of a magnetic field

Abstract

Nuclear fusion is one of the future solutions towards sustainable energy. The concept of the magnetic field is introduced to contain high-temperatureture reaction of the nuclear fusion. However, the presence of the magnetic field affects the fluid flow inside the blanket module, which purpose is to harness the energy, where it reduces the heat transfer efficiency in the channel of a heat exchanger. Thus, to counter this effect, this research examines the flow structure behind multiple bluff bodies arranged in tandem in a channel under the influence of a magnetic field with the aim of increasing the heat transfer efficiency inside the channel. In this study, the effect of gap ratio, G/h = [1-2.4] and Hartmann parameters, H = [0-80,0] are analyzed for the critical Reynolds number, pressure drop and Nusselt number using a Computational Fluid Dynamics open-source software. It is found that the presence of the downstream cylinder with gap ratio, G/h = 1.2, 1.4 and 1.6 improves the flow in terms of critical Reynolds number and Nusselt number while having some pressure drop penalty. The multiple cylinders increased the Nusselt number compared with the flow past a single cylinder. In terms of the Hartman parameter, increasing the value of the parameter increases the critical Reynolds number and decreases the Nusselt number.