UDC 536.25

Dipes Chakrabarty1) and Ranajit Brahma2)

EXPERIMENTAL STUDY OF FLUID FLOW AND HEAT TRANSFER
FROM A SQUARE PRISM APPROACHING THE WALL OF A WIND TUNNEL 

Experimental investigations of fluid flow and heat transfer 
have been carried out to study the effect of wall proximity due to 
flow separation around square prisms. Experiments have been carried 
for the Reynolds number equal to 2.6x104. The results 
are presented in the form of pressure coefficient, drag coefficient, 
and Nusselt numbers for various height ratios, blockage ratios, and 
angles of attack. The pressure coefficient distribution shows positive 
values on the front face, whereas on the rear face its negative values 
are observed. The drag coefficient decreases with an increase in angle 
of attack as the height ratio decreases, and its maximum value takes 
place at an angle of about 50o. Both the local and average 
Nusselt numbers decrease as the height ratio decreases.

Keywords: flow separation, square prism, blockage ratio, height ratio, 
angle of attack, pressure coefficient, drag coefficient, Nusselt number.

1)Konkuk University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 
Gwannjin-Gu, 1 Hwayang Dong, Seoul-143701, South Korea; email: 
dipes_chakrabarty@redffmail.com; 
2)Indian Institute of Technology, Department of Mechanical 
Engineering, Kharagpur-721302, West Bengal, India. Original article 
submitted January 8, 2008; revision submitted July 21, 2008.