Experimental and numerical investigation of thermal performance of wavy microchannel heat sink with ceramic based nanofluids

Abstract

Microchannels are capable of drawing intense heat from source newlinewithout degradation and offer consistent fluid flow performance. Typically, newlineflow channels with hydraulic diameter greater than or equal to 1 mm are newlineclassified as microchannels and are variably termed in different studies newline(Hetsroni 2005 and Mokrani et al. 2009) as micro-device or microtubes . newlineTheir high surface to volume ratio makes them capable of transmitting heat newlineand mass in crucial applications such as cooling of photovoltaic cells, newlinechemical reactors, thermic piping systems, microelectronic circuitry, engine newlineradiators, laser apparatus cooling systems, hydrogen fuel cells and avionics newline(Hugan et al. 2018). The present work investigated the influence of newlinenanofluids over the improvement heat transfer characteristics by developing newlineRectangular, Triangular, Semi-circular and Conical frustum shaped headers newlineand vertical/inline flow inlet configurations with wavy microchannel. newlineThe flow distribution studies have been performed by considering newlinethe influence of the channel header shape and the configuration of the fluid newlineflow. The corresponding cross sections were formed by varying the width of newlineheader. The coolant used is the de-ionized water. Physical testing was newlineperformed for all the inlet headers when the de-ionized water was supplied newlinewith different mass flow rates. Two influencing flow parameters such as newlineNormalized flow rate and Flow non-uniformity factor (and#61542;) were selected for newlinequantifying the maldistribution. CFD analysis was carried out to predict the newlinecoolant flow performance with respect to different header shapes and inlet newlineentry arrangement. A numerical model was developed using mathematical newlineequations to describe the coolant fluid flow behavior inside the wavy newlinemicrochannels. The fluid was assumed as three dimensional, Newtonian, and newlineincompressible and laminar flow. While using rectangular header, for the newlinemass flow rate of 610 g/min, the flow became stable and most of the test runs newlineshowed a value near to 1 as an indication of proper flow distribution. For newline