Transverse Temperature Gradient Effect on Fin Efficiency for Micro-Channel Design

Abstract

Heat transfer in micro-channels, used as an efficient cooling method for electronic circuits, is revisited. Channel walls act as a fin conveying heat to the cooling fluid. The relatively low amount of fluid circulating and high micro-channel length-to-depth ratio will cause a significant temperature rise in the fluid between inlet and outlet. This will create a transverse temperature gradient normal to the prevailing temperature gradient in the channel walls. This 2D problem will be analytically solved for laminar incompressible flow with constant physical properties in order to get an accurate estimation of the fin efficiency subject to a 2D field of temperature difference.