Experimental and Numerical Investigation of the Effect of an Insert on Heat Transfer Enhancement of a Domestic Gas Burner

Heat transfer from a domestic gas burner heating unit is enhanced by use of vortex generators. The heating unit is first modeled as a three dimensional physical domain for flow of gases, and conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy,species and radiation are discretized over the meshing system of control volumes provided in the domain. Experimental set-up to measure and validate the numerical results is equally established. Two triangular cross section bars are employed as inserts to disturb the flow of gases running inside the combustion chamber. The effect on heat transfer enhancement is then studied both numerically and experimentally. Results show that a jet forms between the insert and the combustion chamber wall. Also, some vortices are formed at downstream to the insert causing the heat transfer augmentation by 16.24% to the surrounding air. The overall efficiency is improved by 2.7% compared to the case of similar environment but with no vortex generators..