Thin Film Flow with Partial Slip in Non-Isothermal Rimming Flow

Within typical aero-engine bearing chambers, complex fluid flows wholly coat the chamber surface as thin films. Injection of externally cooled oil droplets are used to dissipate heat from the chamber. For increasing demands on the operation conditions, detailed thermal modelling is critical in predicting and maintaining film flows to avoid oil degradation.

We simulate the thermal model of a rimming flow on a simple chamber geometry for the exploration of key characteristics on flow dynamics and thermodynamics. Utilisation of a depth averaged mathematical formulation allows for a boundary slip condition at the fluid-solid interface, which is appropriate since surface effects become apparent for thinner films. The thermal characteristics are explored for a range of flows, including those of modest inertial effects retained due to depth-averaging. The attributes of smooth and pooled flows are detailed for the thermal cases on temperature distribution, with emphasis on slip affecting the ability of heat transfer. We present the impact of slip on the thermal model where enhanced velocities at the interfaces may influence heat extraction and provide an overview of the thermal parameters on the system.