Turbulent flow through two asymmetric rod bundles

Measurements of the mean velocity, of the wall shear stresses, and of the turbulence have been performed in four wall subchannels of rod bundles of four parallel rods enclosed in a rectangular channel. The pitch-to-diameter ratio was P/D=1.148 and the wall-to-diameter ratios ranged from 1.045 to 1.252. The full Reynolds stress tensor has been determined by hot-wire technique. The results of the turbulences intensities show that the flow through rod bundles differs widely from flow through circular tubes. More sophisticated analytical tools than presently available are required to predict turbulent flow through rod bundles with sufficient accuracy