Numerical investigation to study effect of radiation on thermal performance of radiator for ONAN cooling configuration of transformer

Abstract

In the present work, flow and temperature distribution in the radiator fins of a power transformer is studied numerically with conjugate heat transfer using commercial CFD software to study the effect of radiation on heat dissipation. The approach considered here is a complete 3D geometry of the radiator fins with average height of the flute geometry of the fins for meshing and computational time reduction. Simulations are performed for ONAN (Oil Natural Air Natural) case for one radiator configuration. The simulations also study the effect of radiation and its impact on the overall heat dissipation. These results would give a holistic picture of heat transfer phenomenon to the designers.