A study on flow and heat transfer characteristics of a constructal bifurcation filler in the circular tube

Abstract Porous media are applied extensively in energy systems. However, the large flow resistance caused by porous media restricts the energy utilization and conversion efficiency. To reduce flow resistance, a constructal bifurcation filler was proposed as an alternative to the porous media filler based on constructal concept and fluid disturbance intensification idea. The two fillers were fitted in the circular tubes to investigate and compare their thermo-hydraulic characteristics. The fluid flow and heat transfer mechanisms of the two types of tubes were analyzed. The fluid disturbance intensification is the dominant mechanism of the heat transfer enhancement in the tube with the constructal bifurcation filler. Moreover, the flow resistance of the tube with the constructal bifurcation filler is decreased significantly, by 78.51% to 93.33%, compared to the tube with the porous media filler. Meanwhile, in contrast to the traditional fluid disturbance intensification elements, an excellent temperature uniformity similar to that of porous media is obtained for the constructal bifurcation filler. Furthermore, the efficiency evaluation criteria value is 3.66 to 8.77. Thus, the constructal bifurcation filler was demonstrated to exhibit superior comprehensive performance and is an effective solution for diminishing the flow resistance and improving the energy utilization efficiency. Finally, the effects of structure parameters, such as the wire mesh pitch s and inclined angle α, on the thermo-hydraulic performance of the tube with the constructal bifurcation filler were investigated.