Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0
Author-Name:Muhammad Usama, Zeeshan Khan, Faiq Said, Muhammad Ismail, Hammad-Ur-Rahman
Author-Email:engr.faiq.said@uetmardan.edu.pk
Author-Workplace-Name:U.S.-Pakistan  Center  for  Advanced  Studies  in  Energy,  University  of  Engineering  & Technology, Peshawar 25124, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Pakistan, Laboratory  of  Fluid  Mechanics,  Department  of  Mechanical  Engineering,  University  of Engineering & Technology, Mardan 23200,Khyber Pukhtunkhwa,Pakistan, Department  of  Technology,  Abasyn  University,  Peshawar  25000,  Khyber  Pukhtunkhwa, Pakistan
Title:Evaluation of Thermal Mixing in T-Junctions Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)
Abstract:The thermal mixing process in T-junctions presents a significant challenge in optimizing heat transfer and temperature distribution, especially in systems involving both hot and cold fluids. The problem addressed in this study was to understand how variations in inlet  velocities,  pipe  diameters,  flow  rates,  and  turbulence  models  affect  heat  transfer  and thermal  mixing.  The  solution  was  achieved  by  performing  detailed  CFD  simulations, evaluating these factors under controlled boundary conditions of 40 m/s hotinlet velocity, 30 m/s cold inlet velocity, and a 15 K temperature difference between the main and branch pipes. The results reveal that higher inlet velocities enhance thermal mixing, with outlet temperatures increasing from 223.382 K to 325.975 K as hotinlet velocity increases from 20 m/s to 40 m/s. Increasing the hot inlet diameter from 2 cm to 4 cm improves temperature distribution, raising the outlet temperature from 325.95 K to 329.797 K. The introduction of dual hot inlets further enhances the temperature to 329.797 K. Comparative analysis of turbulence models (k-ω and k-ε) indicates that the k-ω model provides more uniform temperature distribution. Moreover, variations  in  flow  rates  show  that  higher  flow  rates  in  the  main  pipe  led  to  an  outlet temperature  of  312  K,  while  higher  flow  rates  in  the  branch  pipe  reduced  the  outlet temperature to 305 K. This research offers critical insights for optimizing T-junction designs, improving thermal mixing, and enhancing heat transfer in industrial applications.
Keywords:T-junction,  Thermal  Mixing,  Computational  Fluid  Dynamics  (CFD),  Turbulent Flow, Heat Transfer, ANSYS
Journal:International Journal of Innovations in Science and Technology
Pages:1055-1073
Volume:7
Issue:2
Year:2025
Month:May
File-URL:https://journal.50sea.com/index.php/IJIST/article/view/1372/1920
File-Format: Application/pdf
File-URL:https://journal.50sea.com/index.php/IJIST/article/view/1372
File-Format: text/html
Handle: RePEc:abq:IJIST:v:7:y:2025:i:2:p:1055-1073