Fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics in rectangular microchannels

Experiments were conducted to investigate flow and heat transfer characteristics of water in rectangular microchannels. All tests were performed with deionized water. The flow rate, the pressures, and temperatures at the inlet and outlet were measured. The friction factor, heat flux, and Nusselt number were obtained. The friction factor in the microchannel is lower than the conventional value. That is only 20% to 30% of the convectional value. The critical Reynolds number below which the flow remains laminar in the microchannel is also lower than the conventional value. The Nusselt number in the microchannel is quite different from the conventional value. The Nusselt number for the microchannel is lower than the conventional value when the flow rate is small. As the flow rate through the microchannel is increased, the Nusselt number significantly increases and exceeds the value of Nusselt number for the fully developed flow in the conventional channel. The micro‐scale effect was exhibited. The Nusselt number is also affected by the heat flux. The Nusselt number remains the constant value when the flow rate is small. The Nusselt number increases with the increase in the heat flux when the flow rate is large. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 37(4): 197–207, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20206     

A review of heat and fluid flow characteristics in microchannel heat sinks

Heat transfer and flow characteristic in microchannel heat sinks (MCHS) are extensively studied in the literature due to high heat transfer rate capability by increased heat transfer surface area relative to the macroscale heat sinks. However, heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics in MCHS differ from conventional ones because of the scaling effects. This review summarizes the studies that are mainly based on heat transfer and fluid flow characteristic in MCHS. There is no consistency among the published results; however, everyone agrees on that there is no new physical phenomenon in microscale that does not exist at macroscale. Only difference between them is that the effect of some physical phenomena such as viscous dissipation, axial heat conduction, entrance effect, rarefaction, and so forth, is negligibly small at macroscale, whereas it is not at microscale. The effect of these physical phenomena on the heat transfer and flow characteristics becomes significant with respect to specified conditions such as Reynolds number, Peclet number, hydraulic diameter, and heat transfer boundary conditions. Here, the literature was reviewed to document when these physical phenomena become significant and insignificant.     

Heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics of very compact heat sinks

High-performance compact heat sinks have been developed for the effective cooling of high-density LSI packaging. Heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics of the heat sinks in both air-cross-flow and air-jet cooling have been experimentally studied. The present heat sinks were of plate-fin and pin-fin arrays with a fin pitch of 0.7 mm. The plate-fin heat sinks had higher cooling performance than the pin-fin heat sinks in the range of large airflow rates both in air-cross-flow and air-jet cooling. The thermal conductance in cross-flow cooling was 20 or 40% larger than that in jet cooling. The correlation of Colburn j-factor/Fanning friction factor versus the Reynolds number for the present heat sinks was found to be very close to that of a conventional large-size heat exchanger. © Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 28(8): 687-705, 1999     

Fluid flow characteristics and convective heat transfer improvement on a gas turbine blade

The flow field features and heat transfer enhancement are investigated on a gas turbine blade by applying the jet impingement cooling method. The distribution of the flow field and the Nusselt number (Nu) was determined on the targeted surface in the cooling channel. The injection holes of different shapes, such as circular, square, and rectangular were considered. The Reynolds numbers (Re) of the airflow in the range of 2000–5000 and aspect ratios of 0.5–2 were particularly focused. The flow vortices and recirculation in the cooling channel and their influence on the heat transfer enhancement were analyzed in detail under different airflow and geometric conditions. Decreasing the ratio of the distance between jet-to-target plate to the diameter of the jet orifice (H/d) increased the heat transfer rate and produced high-intensity vortices and recirculation zones. It was noticed that the formation and generation of vortices and recirculation have important effects on the convective heat transfer rate at the impingement surface. Local Nusselt number, formation of complex vortices, and airflow recirculation in the cooling channel decreased with the increase in the distance between the jet hole and the targeted surface. It was found that with the increase in the Reynolds number of the jet, heat transfer between cold airflow and the targeted surface increased. Moreover, it was observed that the cooling performance of the round and square jet holes was better than the rectangular holes.     

Fluid flow and heat transfer in incandescent lamps

A numerical model is developed to study the two-dimensional laminar, natural-convection flow in incandescent lamps by a finite-volume solution of the steady continuity, Navier-Stokes and energy equations on a curvilinear body-fitted computational grid. The model is applied to typical vertically- and horizontally-oriented lamps containing an inert gas at high pressure. The predicted heat transfer from the filament agrees to within 15% with a semi-empirical correlation. The relationship of the flowfield to observed blackening patterns is discussed. Transport of minor species is formulated and computed for inert tungsten vapor.     

Fluid flow and heat transfer behavior of liquid steel in slab mold with different corner structures. Part 2: Fluid flow,heat transfer,and solidification characteristics

In this article, the complex transmission behavior was discussed in the slab mold with different corner structures. Results show that the up backflow is stronger than the down backflow. The cooling water temperature rise and heat flux through the wide face in the right-angle mold are the largest, while those through the narrow face in the multichamfered mold are larger than those in the big-chamfered mold. The corner temperature at mold exit of the right-angle, big-chamfered, and multichamfered strand increases. The shell thickness at the narrow face center in the chamfered mold is thinner than that in the right-angle mold.     

Fluid flow and heat transfer model for high-speed rotating heat pipes

A new complete model has been developed to predict the performance of high-speed rotating heat pipes with centrifugal accelerations up to 10 000 g. The flow and heat transfer in the condenser is modeled using a conventional modified Nusselt film condensation approach. The heat transfer in the evaporator has previously been modeled using a modified Nusselt film evaporation approach. It was found, however, that natural convection in the liquid film becomes more significant at higher accelerations and larger fluid loadings. A simplified evaporation model including the mixed convection is developed and coupled with the film condensation model. The predictions of the model are in reasonable agreement with existing experimental data. The effects of working fluid loading, rotational speed, and pipe geometry on the heat pipe performance are reported here.     

Effects of thermal property variations on the liquid flow and heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks

Three-dimensional conjugate numerical simulations using the inlet, average and variable thermal properties respectively were performed for the laminar water flow and heat transfer in rectangular microchannels with D_h of 0.333 mm at Re of 101–1775. Both average and variable properties are adopted in data reduction. The calculated local and average characteristics of flow and heat transfer are compared among different methods, and with the experiments, correlations and simplified theoretical solution data from published literatures. Compared with the inlet property method, both average and variable property methods have significantly lower f_app, but higher convective heat transfer coefficient h_z and Nu_z. Compared with the average property method, the variable property method has higher f_appRe_ave and lower h_z at the beginning, but lower f_appRe_ave and higher h_z at the later section of the channel. The calculated Nu_ave agree well with the Sieder-Tate correlation and the recently reported experiment, validating the traditional macroscale theory in predicting the flow and heat transfer characteristics in the dimension and Re range of the present work.     

Fluid flow and convective heat transfer in flat microchannels

This study investigates the design, construction and instrumentation of an experimental microchannel, with a rectangular cross-section and large aspect ratio, that allows characterization of the flow and convective heat transfer under well defined and precise conditions and makes it possible to vary the hydraulic diameter of the microchannel. The flow friction coefficient is estimated by direct pressure drop measurements inside the microchannel in a zone where the flow is fully developed. Since the wall thermal conditions inside the microchannel can not be measured directly, their estimation requires temperature measurements in the wall thickness and an inverse heat conduction method. The thermal and hydrodynamic results obtained by varying the hydraulic diameter between 1 mm and 100 μm do not deviate from the theory or empirical correlations for large-scale channels. These results let us confirm that for smooth walls the continuum mechanics laws for convection and fluid mechanics remain valid in microchannels of hydraulic diameter greater than or equal to 100 μm.     

Fluid flow and heat transfer in vascularized cooling plates

In this study, the hydrodynamic and thermal characteristics of new vascular designs for the volumetric bathing of the smart structures were investigated numerically by addressing three-dimensional continuity, momentum, and energy conservation as a conjugate heat flow phenomenon. The numerical work covered the Reynolds number range of 50–2000, cooling channels volume fraction of 0.02, pressure drop range of 20–2 × 10⁵ Pa, and six flow configurations: first, second, and third constructal structures with optimized hydraulic diameters and non-optimized hydraulic diameter for each system size 10 × 10, 20 × 20, and 50 × 50, respectively. The numerical results show that the optimized structure of cooling plates could enhance heat transfer significantly and decrease pumping power dramatically compared with the traditional channels. The difference in thermal resistance performance between optimized and non-optimized structures was found to increase and manifests itself clearly as the system size increased. The channel configurations of the first and second constructs are competitive in non-optimized configurations, whereas the best architecture was the third construct across all working conditions in non-optimized configurations.     

Forced convection heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks

This paper presents an analysis of forced convection heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks for electronic system cooling. In view of the small dimensions of the microstructures, the microchannel is modeled as a fluid-saturated porous medium. Numerical solutions are obtained based on the Forchheimer–Brinkman-extended Darcy equation for the fluid flow and the two-equation model for heat transfer between the solid and fluid phases. The velocity field in the microchannel is first solved by a finite-difference scheme, and then the energy equations governing the solid and fluid phases are solved simultaneously for the temperature distributions. Also, analytical expressions for the velocity and temperature profiles are presented for a simpler flow model, i.e., the Brinkman-extended Darcy model. This work attempts to perform a systematic study on the effects of major parameters on the flow and heat transfer characteristics of forced convection in the microchannel heat sink. The governing parameters of engineering importance include the channel aspect ratio (α_s), inertial force parameter (Γ), porosity (ε), and the effective thermal conductivity ratio (k_r). The velocity profiles of the fluid in the microchannel, the temperature distributions of the solid and fluid phases, and the overall Nusselt number are illustrated for various values of the problem parameters. It is found that the fluid inertia force alters noticeably the dimensionless velocity distribution and the fluid temperature distribution, while the solid temperature distribution is almost insensitive to the fluid inertia. Moreover, the overall Nusselt number increases with increasing the values of α_s and ε, while it decreases with increasing k_r.     

Fluid flow and heat transfer investigations in shell and dimple heat exchangers

Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics are investigated here using experimental and analytical techniques for a dimple plate heat exchanger. The analysis uses the log mean temperature difference method (LMTD) in all its calculations. Whilest the shell side flow highly resembles the flow over a rough or wavy plate, the tube side passage in these represents the flow over short hexagonal tube banks with the flowing across the sectional areas between the hexagons having the shape of a benzene ring. Local and global experimental measurements are carried out around the heat exchanger. Furthermore, analytical models for both sides of the heat exchanger were obtained from the literature. Reasonable cross match between experimental and analytical results could be obtained. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of three-dimensional heat transfer in micro-channel heat sinks

In this study, the three-dimensional fluid flow and heat transfer in a rectangular micro-channel heat sink are analyzed numerically using water as the cooling fluid. The heat sink consists of a 1-cm² silicon wafer. The micro-channels have a width of 57 μm and a depth of 180 μm, and are separated by a 43 μm wall. A numerical code based on the finite difference method and the SIMPLE algorithm is developed to solve the governing equations. The code is carefully validated by comparing the predictions with analytical solutions and available experimental data. For the micro-channel heat sink investigated, it is found that the temperature rise along the flow direction in the solid and fluid regions can be approximated as linear. The highest temperature is encountered at the heated base surface of the heat sink immediately above the channel outlet. The heat flux and Nusselt number have much higher values near the channel inlet and vary around the channel periphery, approaching zero in the corners. Flow Reynolds number affects the length of the flow developing region. For a relatively high Reynolds number of 1400, fully developed flow may not be achieved inside the heat sink. Increasing the thermal conductivity of the solid substrate reduces the temperature at the heated base surface of the heat sink, especially near the channel outlet. Although the classical fin analysis method provides a simplified means to modeling heat transfer in micro-channel heat sinks, some key assumptions introduced in the fin method deviate significantly from the real situation, which may compromise the accuracy of this method.     

Fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of cone orifice jet (effects of cone angle)

The use of a jet from an orifice nozzle with a saddle‐backed‐shape velocity profile and a contracted flow at the nozzle exit may improve the heat transfer characteristics on an impingement plate because of its larger centerline velocity. However, it requires more power to operate than a common nozzle because of its higher flow resistance. We therefore initially considered the use of a cone orifice nozzle to obtain better heat transfer performance as well as to decrease the flow resistance. We examined the effects of the cone angle α on the cone orifice free jet flow and heat transfer characteristics of the impinging jet. We compared two nozzles: a pipe nozzle and a quadrant nozzle. The first one provides a velocity profile of a fully developed turbulent pipe flow, and the second has a uniform velocity profile at the nozzle exit. We observed a significant enhancement of the heat transfer characteristics of the cone orifice jets at Re=1.5×10⁴. Using the cone orifice impinging jets enhanced the heat transfer rates as compared to the quadrant jet, even when the jets were supplied with the same operational power as the pipe jet. For instance, a maximum enhancement up to approximately 22% at r/d_o?0.5 is observed for α=15^°. In addition, an increase of approximately 7% is attained as compared to when the pipe jet was used. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20243     

Heat transfer and pressure drop in laterally perforated-finned heat sinks across different flow regimes

Experiments were performed to investigate pressure drop and forced convection heat transfer from laterally perforated-finned heat sinks (LA-PFHSs) across a wide range of flow regimes ranging from laminar to turbulent. Perforations with square cross sections were implemented equidistantly along the lateral surfaces of the fins. Results were compared with those of the solid-finned heat sink (SFHS) that was used as the base of comparisons. Thermal-fluid characteristics were investigated under the changes in both perforation size and porosity. The pressure drag in LA-PFHSs was found as the dominant component of the total drag compared with the friction drag. Thermal performances of LA-PFHSs were categorized into three types of industrial demands that require overall colder heat sinks, more uniform temperature heat sinks, and lighter heat sinks. For this purpose, three performance parameters were defined, and each performance parameter was associated to a specific category of industrial demand. It was found that if the optimum range of porosities is obtained at a given perforation size, LA-PFHSs lower both thermal resistance and temperature non-uniformity across the heat sink base without increasing the pumping power. The excellent advantage of LA-PFHSs in weight sensitive applications was demonstrated through a new performance parameter as the mass-based thermal resistance, and 41–51% lower mass-based thermal resistance compared with that of the SFHS was achieved using LA-PFHSs with the maximum porosity, without increasing the pumping power.     

Effect of geometric configuration on the laminar flow and heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks with cavities and fins

A numerical simulation is performed to investigate the characteristics of flow and heat transfer in microchannels with cavities and fins. Nine microchannels with various shaped cavities and fins are presented and compared to the smooth microchannel. The effect of cavity and fin shapes on the flow field and temperature field is analyzed. Results show that the presence of cavity and fin can increase the heat transfer area, intensify mainstream disturbance, and induce chaotic advection, which result in obvious heat transfer enhancement. The shape of cavity or fin has a great influence on the hydrodynamic and thermal performance for such micro heat sinks. Based on the performance evaluation criterion (PEC), the overall performance of the microchannel is evaluated. The combination of cavities and fins leads to lower bottom temperature, lower net temperature gradient of fluid, and better heat transfer performance, which has the potential to meet the increased heat removal requirement.     

Fluid flow and heat transfer in an optical fiber coating process

The optical fiber coating process, using a die and applicator system, was numerically simulated. The coupled partial differential equations, governing the fluid flow and heat transfer, were solved on a transformed, non-uniform, staggered grid. A finite volume method, with conjugate heat transfer, boundary-fitted grid, and variable transport properties, was employed. The pressure was calculated using a SIMPLE-based algorithm. An isothermal case was first modeled, where the effect of the Reynolds number (Re) was studied for different geometries. Different coating fluids were considered. A conjugate boundary condition was employed at the fiber–fluid interface for the non-isothermal flow. A free surface boundary condition was used at the fiber entry into the coating fluid. The meniscus was prescribed on the basis of prior experimental work. Regardless of fiber speed, a circulating flow was observed in the applicator. High shear rates at the dynamic contact point suggest that air can be entrained with a fast moving fiber. It was also found that pressures at the coating fluid inlet did not play a major role, for typical fiber speeds, whereas the thermal conditions that affect the properties of the fluid, such as viscosity, made a significant impact on both the flow and the thermal field. This work could be used to determine the parameters that are critical for improving the quality of the coating, particularly its uniformity, and the production rate.     

Effects of fin shapes on heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks

In the present study, compact water cooling of high‐density, high‐speed, very‐large‐scale integrated (VLSI) circuits with the help of microchannel heat exchangers were investigated analytically. This study also presents the result of mathematical analysis based on the modified Bessel function of laminar fluid flow and heat transfer through combined conduction and convection in a microchannel heat sink with triangular extensions. The main purpose of this paper is to find the dimensions of a heat sink that give the least thermal resistance between the fluid and the heat sink, and the results are compared with that of rectangular fins. It is seen that the triangular heat sink requires less substrate material as compared to rectangular fins, and the heat transfer rate per unit volume has been almost doubled by using triangular heat sinks. It is also found that the effectiveness of the triangular fin is higher than that of the rectangular fin. Therefore, the triangular heat sink has the ability to dissipate large amounts of heat with relatively less temperature rise for the same fin volume. Alternatively, triangular heat sinks may thus be more cost effective to use for cooling ultra‐high speed VLSI circuits than rectangular heat sinks.     

Fluid flow and heat transfer in fluidized bed vertical shell and tube type heat exchanger

Measurements were made on the effects of circulating solid particles on the characteristics of fluid flow and heat transfer in the fluidized bed vertical shell and tube type heat exchanger with counterflow. The present work showed that the flow velocity range for collision of particles to the tube wall was higher with heavier density solid particles, and the increase in heat transfer was in the order of sand, copper, steel, aluminum, and glass.     

The characteristics of convective heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks using Al2O3 and TiO2 nanofluids

The present study aims to provide an overall analysis about nanofluids flowing through microchannel heat sinks. Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ nanofluids based on deionized water with particle volume fractions of 0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0% were prepared by the two-step dispersion method. Nonionic surfactant polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) was added into the nanofluids to avoid particle aggregation and enhance stability. An ImageIR 3350 was used to get the temperature distribution on the substrate of microchannel heat sinks. The results reveal that the thermal conductivity and dynamic viscosity of Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ nanofluids are both improved with the increase of particle volume fraction. Compared with a rectangular microchannel heat sink, the performance of heat transfer in fan-shaped microchannel heat sink is more strengthened using Al₂O₃ nanofluids. The thermal motion of nanoparticles could promote the interruption of laminar flow and intensify the heat transfer between fluids and channel walls. The cyclical change with a fixed period on equivalent diameter could also help destroy the boundary layers.