A Numerical Study of the Influence of Disk Geometry on the Flow and Heat Transfer in a Rotating Cavity

Numerical solutions of the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations have been used to model the influence of cobs and a bolt cover on the flow and heat transfer in a rotating cavity with an imposed radial outflow of air. Axisymmetric turbulent flow is assumed using a mixing length turbulence model. Calculations for the non-plane disks are compared with plane disk calculations and also with the available experimental data. The calculated flow structures show good agreement with the experimentally observed trends. For the cobbed and plane disks, Nusselt numbers are calculated for a combination of flow rates and rotational speeds; these show some discrepancies with the experiments, although the calculations exhibit the more consistent trend. Further calculations indicate that differences in thermal boundary conditions have a greater influence on Nusselt number than differences in disk geometry. The influence of the bolt cover on the heat transfer has also been modeled, although comparative measurements are not available.