Transient Axial Free Jet Impinging Over a Flat Uniformly Heated Disk: Solid–Fluid Properties Effects

Transient conjugate heat transfer process during axial free jet impingement on a solid disk of finite thickness was considered. As the fluid reached steady state, power was turned on and a uniform heat flux was imposed on the disk at its opposite surface. The numerical model considered both solid and fluid regions. Equations for conservation of mass, momentum, and energy were solved in the liquid region taking into account the transport processes at the inlet and exit boundaries, as well as at the solid-liquid and liquid-gas interfaces. Inside the solid, only the heat conduction equation was solved. The shape and location of the free surface (liquid-gas interface) was determined iteratively as a part of the solution process by satisfying the kinematic condition as well as the balance of normal and shear forces at this interface. A non-uniform grid distribution, captured from a systematic grid-independence study, was used to adequately accommodate large variations near the solid-fluid interface. Computed results include the simulation of six different substrate materials namely, aluminum, constantan, copper, diamond, silicon, and silver, and three different impinging liquids, FC - 77, Mil - 7808, and water. The solids and fluids selected covered a wide range of possibilities of conjugate heat transfer phenomena. The analysis performed showed that the thermal storage capacity, defined as density times specific heat, is an important factor defining which material will attain steady state faster during conjugate heat transfer process, like the thermal diffusivity does it for pure conduction heat transfer.