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Numerical simulation of the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of microchannel heat exchangers with different reentrant cavities

Minqiang Pan (School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China)
Hongqing Wang (School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China)
Yujian Zhong (School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China)
Tianyu Fang (School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China)
Xineng Zhong (School of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou, China)

International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow

ISSN: 0961-5539

Article publication date: 15 August 2019

Issue publication date: 17 October 2019

428

Abstract

Purpose

With the increasing heat dissipation of electronic devices, the cooling demand of electronic products is increasing gradually. A water-cooled microchannel heat exchanger is an effective cooling technology for electronic equipment. The structure of a microchannel has great impact on the heat transfer performance of a microchannel heat exchanger. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and compare the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristic of a microchannel heat exchanger with different reentrant cavities.

Design/methodology/approach

The three-dimensional steady, laminar developing flow and conjugate heat transfer governing equations of a plate microchannel heat exchanger are solved using the finite volume method.

Findings

At the flow rate range studied in this paper, the microchannel heat exchangers with reentrant cavities present better heat transfer performance and smaller pressure drop. A microchannel heat exchanger with trapezoidal-shaped cavities has best heat transfer performance, and a microchannel heat exchanger with fan-shaped cavities has the smallest pressure drop.

Research limitations/implications

The fluid is incompressible and the inlet temperature is constant.

Practical implications

It is an effective way to enhance heat transfer and reduce pressure drop by adding cavities in microchannels and the data will be helpful as guidelines in the selection of reentrant cavities.

Originality/value

This paper provides the pressure drop and heat transfer performance analysis of microchannel heat exchangers with various reentrant cavities, which can provide reference for heat transfer augmentation of an existing microchannel heat exchanger in a thermal design.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province, China, Project No. 2016A050503019, and National Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong, China, No. 1714050000297, and Science and Technology Program of Guangzhou, China, Project Nos. 201804010137 and 201807010074 and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Project No. 2018ZD28.

Citation

Pan, M., Wang, H., Zhong, Y., Fang, T. and Zhong, X. (2019), "Numerical simulation of the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of microchannel heat exchangers with different reentrant cavities", International Journal of Numerical Methods for Heat & Fluid Flow, Vol. 29 No. 11, pp. 4334-4348. https://doi.org/10.1108/HFF-03-2019-0252

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

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