Direct numerical simulation of turbulent channel flow with heat transfer for low Prandtl and high Reynolds and comparison with Algebraic heat flux model

The flow characteristic of fluid at low Prandtl number is of continued interest in the nuclear industry because liquid metals are to be used in the next-generation nuclear power reactors. In this work we performed direct numerical simulation (DNS) for turbulent channel flow with fluid of low Prandtl number. The Prandtl number was set to 0.025, which is representative of the behavior of liquid metals. Constant heat flux was imposed on the walls to study heat transfer behavior, with different boundary conditions for temperature fluctuation. The bulk Reynolds number was set as high as 50,000, with a corresponding friction Reynolds number of 1,200, which is closer to the situation in a reactor or a heat exchanger than used in normally available databases. Budgets for turbulent variables were computed and compared with predictions from several RANS turbulence models. In particular, the Algebraic Heat Flux Model (AHFM) has been the focus of this comparison with DNS data. The comparisons highlight some shortcomings of AHFM along with potential improvements.