Numerical study of flow and heat transfer for flow past inline circular tubes built in a rectangular channel in the presence of vortex generators

A three-dimensional numerical study has been carried out for laminar flow of air past an inline arrangement of circular tubes built-in with a rectangular channel in the presence of vortex generators. The governing equations of momentum and energy are solved with the help of a developed computational code based on finite-volume technique. Computed flow and temperature field results are analyzed with an aim to find an optimum location of vortex generators resulting in the maximum enhancement of heat transfer causing a minimum increase in pressure drop. To find the optimized location of vortex generators, the effect of variation of the Reynolds number on flow and heat transfer has also been studied.