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.     

Slip-flow and heat transfer of gaseous flows in the entrance of a wavy microchannel

The present work investigates the developing fluid flow and heat transfer through a wavy microchannel with numerical methods. Governing equations including continuity, momentum and energy with the velocity slip and temperature jump conditions at the solid walls are discretized using the finite-volume method and solved by SIMPLE algorithm in curvilinear coordinate. The effects of creep flow and viscous dissipation are assumed. The numerical results are obtained for various Knudsen numbers. The results show that Knudsen number has declining effect on both the C_f.Re and Nusselt number on the undeveloped fluid flow. Significant viscous dissipation effects have been observed for large Knudsen number. Also, viscous dissipation causes a singular point in Nusselt profiles.     

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.     

An evaluation of secondary effects on microchannel frictional and convective heat transfer characteristics

The frictional and convective heat transfer characteristics of rarified flows in rectangular microchannels, with either isoflux or isothermal boundary conditions, are evaluated subject to second-order slip boundary conditions, creep flow, viscous dissipation, and axial conduction effects. Numerical results are obtained using a continuum based, three-dimensional, compressible, unsteady computational fluid dynamics algorithm with first- and second-order slip velocity and temperature jump boundary conditions applied to the momentum and energy equations, respectively. The results, reported in the form of Poiseuille and Nusselt numbers, are found to be significant functions of aspect ratio, Knudsen number, slip model parameters, Brinkman number, and Peclet number.     

Effect of substrate thickness and material on heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks

Heat and fluid flow in microchannels of size (200μm × 200 μm, 5 cm long) of different substrate thicknesses (t = 100 μm–1000 μm) and different MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) materials (Polyimide, Silica Glass, Quartz, Steel, Silicon, Copper) was studied to observe the effects of thermal conductivity and substrate thickness on convective heat transfer in laminar internal flows.The results of the model were first validated by the theoretical results recommended by standard forced convection problem with H1 (Constant heat flux boundary condition) condition before the results from the actual microchannel configurations were obtained. Thereafter, general Nusselt number results were obtained from the models of many microchannel configurations based on the commercial package COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS^® 3.4 and were discussed on both local and average basis.A general Nusselt number correlation for fully developed laminar flow was developed as a function of two dimensionless parameters, namely Bi, Biot number and relative conductivity k¹, to take the conduction effects of the solid substrate on heat transfer into account. It was also demonstrated when the commonly used assumption of constant heat flux boundary (H1) condition is applicable in heat and fluid flow analysis in microfluidic systems. For this, a new dimensionless parameter was employed. A value of 1.651 for this suggested dimensionless parameter (Bi^0.04k^1?0.24) corresponds to 95% of the Nusselt number associated with the constant heat flux boundary condition so that it could be set as a boundary for the applicability of constant heat flux boundary (H1) condition in microfluidic systems involving heat transfer.     

Numerical simulation of heat transfer enhancement in wavy microchannel heat sink

In this paper, heat transfer and water flow characteristics in wavy microchannel heat sink (WMCHS) with rectangular cross-section with various wavy amplitudes ranged from 125 to 500 μm is numerically investigated. This investigation covers Reynolds number in the range of 100 to 1000. The three-dimensional steady, laminar flow and heat transfer governing equations are solved using the finite-volume method (FVM). The water flow field and heat transfer phenomena inside the heated wavy microchannels is simulated and the results are compared with the straight microchannels. The effect of using a wavy flow channel on the MCHS thermal performance, the pressure drop, the friction factor, and wall shear stress is reported in this article. It is found that the heat transfer performance of the wavy microchannels is much better than the straight microchannels with the same cross-section. The pressure drop penalty of the wavy microchannels is much smaller than the heat transfer enhancement achievement. Both friction factor and wall shear stress are increased proportionally as the amplitude of wavy microchannels increased.     

Analysis of heat transfer characteristics of double-layered microchannel heat sink

Numerical analysis is performed to examine the heat transfer characteristics of a double-layered microchannel heat sink. The three-dimensional governing equations are solved by the finite volume method. The effects of substrate materials, coolants, and geometric parameters such as channel number, channel width ratio, channel aspect ratio, substrate thickness, and pumping power on the temperature distribution, pressure drop, and thermal resistance are discussed. Predictions show that the heat transfer performance of the heat sink is improved for a system with substrate materials having a higher thermal conductivity ratio. A coolant with high thermal conductivity and low dynamic viscosity also enhances the heat transfer performance. The pressure drop decreases with the channel aspect ratio and channel width ratio. Further, the thermal resistance of the microchannel heat sink can be minimized by optimizing the geometric parameters. Finally, the results show that for the same geometric dimensions, the thermal performance of the double-layered microchannel heat sink is better than that of the single-layered one, by an average of 6.3%.     

Heat transfer enhancement in microchannel heat sinks using nanofluids

Heat transfer enhancement in a 3-D microchannel heat sink (MCHS) using nanofluids is investigated by a numerical study. The addition of nanoparticles to the coolant fluid changes its thermophysical properties in ways that are closely related to the type of nanoparticle, base fluid, particle volume fraction, particle size, and pumping power. The calculations in this work suggest that the best heat transfer enhancement can be obtained by using a system with an Al₂O₃–water nanofluid-cooled MCHS. Moreover, using base fluids with lower dynamic viscosity (such as water) and substrate materials with high thermal conductivity enhance the thermal performance of the MCHS. The results also show that as the particle volume fraction of the nanofluid increases, the thermal resistance first decreases and then increases. The lowest thermal resistance can be obtained by properly adjusting the volume fraction and pumping power under given geometric conditions. For a moderate range of particle sizes, the MCHS yields better performance when nanofluids with smaller nanoparticles are used. Furthermore, the overall thermal resistance of the MCHS is reduced significantly by increasing the pumping power. The heat transfer performance of Al₂O₃–water and diamond–water nanofluids was 21.6% better than that of pure water. The results reported here may facilitate improvements in the thermal performance of MCHSs.     

矩形微通道中流体流动阻力和换热特性实验研究

以去离子水为流体工质,对其在矩形微尺度通道中的流动阻力和传热特性进行了实验研究。通过测量流量、进出口压力和温度等参数,获得了流体流过微通道时的摩擦阻力系数、对流换热过程中的热流通量和N u等。微尺度通道中流体流动的摩擦阻力系数较常规尺度通道中的摩擦阻力系数小,仅是常规尺度通道中摩擦阻力系数的20%~30%;且流动状态由层流向湍流转捩的临界R e也远小于常规尺度通道的。微尺度通道中对流换热的N u与常规尺度通道的显著不同。流量较小时,N u较常规尺度通道中充分发展段的小;随着水流量的增加,微通道的N u迅速增加,并很快超过常规尺度通道的N u,表现出微尺度效应。热流通量对微尺度通道中对流换热N u存在影响,其影响规律在不同流速条件下呈不同趋势,流速较小时,N u基本保持不变;而在流速较大时,N u随热流通量增加而呈增加趋势。     

微通道内流动沸腾特性研究

对国内外微通道流动和换热的研究实验作了总结,阐述了影响微通道换热系数的因素,如热流密度、过热度和干度等.对去离子水在内径为0.65 mm、长为102 mm的圆形管道内流动沸腾换热进行了实验研究,得到了局部换热系数随干度的变化关系,进而根据换热系数的变化趋势讨论了饱和流动沸腾区微通道内主导的换热机制.结果表明:从换热系数随干度的变化关系很难判定主导的换热机制;将实验数据与已发表的预测关联式进行了比较,发现大多关联式都失效,说明基于常规理论的模型不再适用于微通道.     

Optimization of fractal-like branching microchannel heat sinks for single-phase flows

Fractal-like branching flow networks in disk-shaped heat sinks are numerically optimized to minimize pressure drop and flow power. Optimization was performed using a direct numerical search, gradient-based optimization, and genetic algorithm. A previously validated one-dimensional pressure drop and heat transfer model, with water as the working fluid, is employed as the objective function. Geometric constraints based on fabrication limitations are considered, and the optimization methodology is compared with results from a direct numerical search and a genetic algorithm.The geometric parameters that define an optimal flow network include the length scale ratio, width scale ratio, and terminal channel width. Along with disk radius, these parameters influence the number of branch levels and number of channels attached to the inlet plenum. The geometric characteristics of the optimized flow networks are studied as a function of disk radius, applied heat flux, and maximum allowable wall temperature. A maximum inlet plenum radius, minimum interior channel spacing, and ranges of terminal channel widths and periphery channel spacing are specified geometric constraints. In general, all geometric constraints and the heat flux have a significant influence on the design of an optimal flow network. Results from a purely geometrically derived network design are shown to perform within 15% of the direct search and gradient-based optimized configurations.     

节流型微通道换热特性研究

为研究节流型微通道换热特性,设计并加工制作了突缩突扩结构的微通道实验件。采用控制变量法控制改变加热电压、质量流量、入口温度,通过实验数据对比分析研究了影响节流型微通道对流换热的规律。研究结果表明:随着质量流量的增加,微通道蒸发器的对流传热系数不断减小;随着雷诺数的增大努谢尔数不断增大,对流换热效果比较明显。     

Modelling of roughness effects on heat transfer in thermally fully-developed laminar flows through microchannels

In this paper, roughness was modelled as a pattern of parallelepipedic elements of height k periodically distributed on the plane walls of a microchannel of height H and of infinite span. Two different approaches were used to predict the influence of roughness on heat transfer in laminar flows through this microchannel. Three-dimensional numerical simulations were conducted in a computational domain based on the wavelength λ. A one-dimensional model (RLM model) was also developed on the basis of a discrete-element approach and the volume averaging technique. The numerical simulations and the rough-layer model agree to show that the Poiseuille number Po and the Nusselt number Nu increase with the relative roughness. The RLM model shows that the roughness effect may be interpreted by using effective roughness heights k_eff and k_effθ for predicting Po and Nu respectively. k_eff and k_effθ depend on two dimensionless local parameters: the porosity of the rough-layer and the roughness height normalized with the distance between the rough elements. The present results show that roughness increases the friction factor more than the heat transfer coefficient (performance evaluation criteria < 1), for a relative roughness height expected in the fabrication of microchannels (k/(H/2) < 0.46) or k/D_h < 0.11).     

Conjugated heat transfer in unsteady channel flows

The exact analytical solution of the unsteady impulsive Thermo-Fluid Dynamic field arising in a two-dimensional channel with thick solid walls is presented when the thermal field in the fluid is coupled with the thermal field in the solid (conjugated heat transfer). The cases studied in this paper depend on the boundary conditions imposed on the unwetted sides of the channel walls: assigned temperature and adiabatic condition. Moreover the case of a given heat loss at the unwetted wall is also considered in an appendix. The temperature and heat flux at the solid–fluid interface are analyzed as function of time and of the nondimensional parameters governing the problem.     

Research on the mechanism of heat transfer enhancement in microchannel heat sinks with micropin fins

In this paper, the pressure drop and heat transfer features of a microchannel applying micropin fins are investigated by numerical simulations and experiments. The microchannel, which is 20-mm long, 2.7-mm wide, and 0.3-mm deep, is fabricated with copper and consisted of staggered diamond micropin fins. The visualization experiments, by means of the advanced technology micro-particle image velocimetry (PIV), are conducted to discuss the mechanism of heat transfer by analysing the flow regimes. Meanwhile, 3D-coupled numerical simulations are applied for the combination with experiments in this research. It is found that the vortex-wake flow is stable at Reynolds number (Re) = 0 to 300, and a steady recirculating zone can be observed in the wake, where a pair of symmetrical vortices is formed. All the time, the vortex-wake flow is unstable at Re = 300 to 650. Under this situation, it is due to the decrease of vorticity that the Nusselt number (Nu) is not significantly increased as it was expected. Thus, when Nu in the pin fin microchannel is predicted, the vorticity should be considered as well as turbulent kinetic energy (TKE). Furthermore, comparative study was carried out based on the mechanism proposed in this study among three kinds of microchannel with different fins, including staggered circular pin fins (CPF), square pin fins (SPF), and diamond pin fins (DPF).     

An overview of passive techniques for heat transfer augmentation in microchannel heat sink

Active and passive cooling are the two possible methods for removing heat. An active cooling system is the one that involves the use of energy as opposed to passive cooling that uses no energy. Passive cooling methods are cost effective and more reliable than active cooling due to the absence of moving parts. Microchannel heat sink is one of high-tech devices that have widely considered passive cooling methods especially for electronics cooling. In this paper, the use of passive cooling methods in microchannel heat sink is comprehensively discussed. This paper also present the effects of some important parameters such as the type of channel types, surface roughness, fluid additives, and Reynolds number on the rate of heat transfer in microchannel heat sink. Finally, the conclusions and important summaries were presented according to the data collected.     

Channel cross section effect on heat transfer performance of oblique finned microchannel heat sink

In the present work, the effect of channel cross section on the heat transfer performance of an oblique finned micro-channel heat sink was investigated. Water and Al₂O₃/water nanofluid of volume fraction 0.25% were used as a coolant. The oblique finned microchannels are designed with three channel cross-sections namely square, semicircle and trapezoidal. The primary work of this paper is to study the heat transfer and hydrodynamic characteristics in the oblique finned microchannel. The experimental setup and procedure are validated using water as coolant in a micro-channel heat sink. Heat transfer and flow characteristics are examined for three cross-sections of varying mass flux. The trapezoidal channel cross-section increases the considerable heat transfer rate improvement for both water and nanofluid by 3.133% and 5.878% compared to square and semicircle cross section. Also, the pressure drop is higher in the trapezoidal cross-section over the square and semicircle cross section. This is due to increase in friction loss of trapezoidal cross section. The results indicate that trapezoidal cross-section oblique finned micro-channel is more suitable for heat transfer in the electronic cooling application.     

Flow and heat transfer characteristics in pulsating pipe flows (effects of pulsation on internal heat transfer in a circular pipe flow)

Effects of pulsation on flow and heat transfer characteristics are experimentally examined in the pulsating pipe flows having sinusoidal velocity fluctuations around a nonzero mean. By systematically varying three pulsation parameters (the amplitude, frequency, and mean velocity), time-averaged and fluctuating temperature profiles are measured under the heating condition of constant wall temperature using saturated vapor. The mean Nusselt number, Nu_p, is calculated, and compared with that in ordinary turbulent pipe flows without pulsation. The results show that Nu_p, decreases initially as the pulsation amplitude increases, then recovers gradually, and finally becomes much greater than the original value. In pulsating pipe flows with a nonzero mean velocity, therefore, pulsation cannot always promote heat transfer, but sometimes suppresses it, depending mainly on the pulsation amplitude and mean velocity. It is also found that these heat transfer characteristics of a pulsating pipe flow are controlled by the transition of flow patterns with pulsation amplitude from a fully turbulent flow to a conditionally turbulent flow via a transitional flow. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Heat Trans Jpn Res, 25(5): 323–341, 1996     

The role of microchannel geometry selection on heat transfer enhancement in heat sinks: A review

Extensive research has been carried out by researchers for improving the thermal efficiency of the microchannel. There are various types of methodologies that have been proposed by authors for different geometry and fluid flow. The use of microchannel in the miniature heat exchangers and microchannel heat sink (MCHS) have taken the science of heat transfer to an another level for which the field of electronic device cooling, aerospace applications, automobile sectors, biomedical engineering, and chemical engineering sectors are being keen toward further development of the technology. Since 3 decades, the microchannel has been tested numerically, experimentally, and analytically for establishing the theories of hydraulic and thermal efficiency during fluid flow. Improper geometry selection of microchannel may lead to carry various losses such as pressure drop, friction factor, wall shear stress, and temperature jump. Available investigations and results have been reviewed immensely in this paper to give a clear prospective for further research in selecting a proper channel geometry.