Thermo-fluid dynamics and synergistic enhancement of heat transfer by interaction between Taylor-Couette flow and heat convection.

This study experimentally and numerically investigated the thermo-fluid dynamics of Taylor-Couette flow with an axial temperature gradient from the chemical engineering perspective. A Taylor-Couette apparatus with a jacket vertically divided into two parts was used in the experiments. Based on the flow visualization and temperature measurement for glycerol aqueous solutions with various concentrations, the flow pattern was classified into six modes: heat convection dominant mode (Case I), heat convection-Taylor vortex flow alternate mode (Case II), Taylor vortex flow dominant mode (Case III), fluctuation maintaining Taylor cell structure mode (Case IV), segregation between Couette flow and Taylor vortex flow mode (Case V) and upward motion mode (Case VI).