Heat Transfer With Pulsatile Flow in a Tube

Heat Transfer With Pulsatile Flow in a Tube: A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Authors

Dr. Terry Moschandreou
Published May 12, 2026
E-ISBN 978-1-7340132-4-5
Pages342
LanguageEnglish

Keywords

Synopsis

The partial differential equations governing heat transfer with pulsatile flow in a tube, which serves as a model of a simple heat exchange device are solved in this thesis. The governing equations are the Navier Stokes equations and the convection diffusion equation. Two boundary value problems are solved. In the first case a Neumann boundary condition is specified which represents constant heat flux at the wall of the tube with fluid entering a thermal region at a constant temperature. A regular perturbation expansion is used to obtain higher order harmonics downstream for the temperature field. The main assumption is that the temperature field becomes fully developed downstream as the velocity field becomes fully developed downstream. The perturbation parameter is the ratio of pressure gradient amplitudes of unsteady flow to that of steady flow. Using a Green’s function the first order solution is obtained. As a measure of heat transfer enhancement, a bulk temperature is formulated for the convective process involved and a change in unsteady Nusselt number to that of steady Nusselt number is evaluated analytically. In the second part of the thesis the more difficult problem of heat transfer in pulsatile flow with constant wall temperature is considered. Although a complete solution is not possible as in the first part, it is possible to use a combination of the Generalized Integral Transform Techniques and Laplace transforms to solve this problem upstream and downstream in the thermal region of the tube. The approximate solution indicates that a plane wave propogates down the tube and the phase of the wave defines critical values in frequency and time along the tube. Use of Dirac’s distribution makes it possible to define a bulk temperature and a change in unsteady bulk temperature from that of steady bulk temperature is presented. By means of classical analysis an inequality involving the two quantities is presented. As a result a measure of heat transfer in pulsatile flow compared to that of steady flow is presented.

Author Biography

Dr. Terry Moschandreou

Dr. Terry Moschandreou

Dr. Terry E. Moschandreou is currently working for Thames Valley District School Board as Intermediate/ Senior Teacher in Mathematics and Science. He has been a professor in applied mathematics at the University of Western Ontario in the School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences where he has taught for several years. He received his PhD degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Western Ontario in 1996. The greater part of his professional life has been spent at the University of Western Ontario and Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, Canada. For a short period, he worked at the NationalrnTechnical University of Athens, Greece. Dr. Moschandreou is the author of several research articles in blood flow and oxygen transport in the microcirculation, general fluid dynamics, and theory of differential equations.

Academic Disclosures

Ethical Approval

Not applicable for this article.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Data Availability

Not applicable for this article.

Acknowledgement

I would like to express my thanks and appreciation to my supervisor Dr. M. Zamir for his guidance and direction over the past few years. I also appreciate helpful discussions with Dr. Stan Deakin. I also would like to thank National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada for their financial support.

Dedication

To My Father and Mother

AI Use Disclosure

No generative AI was used for analysis or results.

Trial Registration

Null — Not applicable for mathematical/engineering research

Funding

NSERC Canada mentioned explicitly in acknowledgements

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How to Cite

Heat Transfer With Pulsatile Flow in a Tube: A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. (2026). Global Journals. https://doi.org/10.34257/HTPFT2026

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