The physical mechanism by which large-scale vortical structures augment convective heat transfer is a fundamental problem of turbulent flows. To investigate this phenomenon, two separate experiments were performed using simultaneous heat transfer and flow field measurements to study the vortex-wall interaction. Individual vortices were identified and studied both as part of a turbulent stagnation flow and as isolated vortex rings impacting on a surface. By examining the temporal evolution of both the flow field and the resulting heat transfer, it was observed that the surface thermal transport was governed by the transient interaction of the vortical structure with the wall. The magnitude of the heat transfer augmentation was dependent on the instantaneous strength, size and position of the vortex relative to the boundary layer. Based on these observations, an analytical model was developed from first principles that predicts the time-resolved surface convection using the transient properties of the vortical structure during its interaction with the wall. The analytical model was then applied, first to the simplified vortex ring model and then to the more complex stagnation region experiments. In both cases, the model was able to accurately predict the time-resolved convection resulting from the vortex interactions with the wall. These results reveal the central role of large-scale turbulent structures in the augmentation of thermal transport and establish a simple model for quantitative predictions of transient heat transfer.

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The development and evaluation of a novel hybrid method for obtaining heat flux measurements is presented. By combining the spatial and temporal temperature measurements of a heat flux sensor, the time response, accuracy, and versatility of the sensor is improved. Sensors utilizing the hybrid method are able to make heat flux measurements on both high and low conductivity materials. It is shown that changing the thermal conductivity of the backing material four orders of magnitude causes only an 11% change in sensor response. The hybrid method also increases the time response of heat flux sensors. The temporal response is shown to increase by up to a factor of 28 compared with a standard spatial sensor. The hybrid method is tested both numerically and experimentally on both high and low conductivity materials and demonstrates significant improvement compared with operating the sensor as a spatial or temporal sensor alone.

A new thin-film heat flux array (HFA) was designed and fabricated using a series of nickel/copper differential thermocouples deposited onto a thin Kapton® polyimide film. A special bank of amplifiers was designed and built to measure the signal from the HFA. Calibrations were performed to determine the gage's sensitivity and temporal response. The HFA produced signals of 42 µV (W cm−2)−1 with a measured first-order response time of 32 ms. The apparent thermal conductivity of the Kapton used was larger than what is usually reported. The design methodology, construction techniques, steady-state and transient calibrations, and a test case are all discussed.

The development and evaluation of a differential style heat flux gauge is presented. The sensor is constructed from spot-welded foils of copper and constantan on either side of a thin Kapton polyimide film and is capable of measuring the heat flux and surface temperature at ten locations simultaneously. Analytical modeling was performed to estimate the sensor’s sensitivity and time response. Calibrations were performed in conduction and radiation yielding an average heat flux sensitivity of 20.4 μV/(kW/m2). Time response measurements were also performed, which gave an average 63% time response of 168 ms. The capabilities of the sensor are demonstrated by showing its use in ongoing convection research.