Numerical simulation of heat transfer from a swirling flow to the lateral side of the vortex tube energy separation chamber

The results of investigation of heat transfer from an intensive swirling flow of gas to the lateral side of the vortex tube energy separation chamber are presented in the paper. The distribution of the heat transfer coefficient along the energy separation chamber is specified taking into account the effect of damping of the circumferential velocity component and the effect of heating of a potential peripheral whirl.  Numerical calculations, the results of which are presented in this paper show the presence of a paraxial precessing vortex core and large-scale vortex structures - toroidal vortices periodically arranged on the periphery along the axis in the energy separation chamber. The dependence of the heat transfer coefficient on the value of the ratio of expansion of gas in the vortex tube, as well as changes in the temperature efficiency caused by increasing the energy separation chamber diameter is presented. It is shown that non-adiabacy has a greater effect on the thermodynamic efficiency of small-scale vortex tubes due to the increase of the relative fraction of the energy rejected from the lateral side in the form of heat.