Forced convective heat transfer in optimized kelvin cells to enhance overall performance

The optimization of pore structure for metal foam is considered a feasible approach for improving the overall heat transfer performance. Thus, we numerically investigated Kelvin cells with different throat areas and structures (elliptical Kelvin cell (EKC)) to characterize the influence on pressure drop and heat transfer coefficient using FLUENT 18.0. The standard k–ε model exhibited a better agreement with experimental data and required less time to achieve convergence. The results revealed that the throat area could not feasibly optimize the overall heat transfer performance. Moreover, the area goodness factor j/f that considered the influences of both heat transfer coefficient and pressure drop on the overall heat transfer performance of EKC with the higher than conventional Kelvin cell. Based on comparative analysis between pressure, velocity, turbulence kinetic energy, and temperature distribution, increasing the space and decreasing the angle between the skeleton and flow direction caused a significant pressure drop in the EKC samples. Owing to the existence of a lower temperature area at the leeward of skeletons and a small difference of impingement cooling on windward skeletons, the reduction of HTC was acceptable. Therefore, the EKC exhibited immense potential for enhancing the design of heat transfer devices.