Thermohydrodynamic Performance Evaluation of Recharging, Interrupted and Simple Microchannels: A Comparative Study

Abstract

In this study, a three-dimensional numerical investigation on the thermohydrodynamic performance of a recently proposed recharging microchannel (RMC) is carried out. In this design, a straight microchannel is split into more than one smaller length channels (having individual inlet and outlet) placed end to end. This design enhances overall heat transfer and maintains temperature uniformity across the substrate length. The comparison of fluid flow and heat transfer performance of RMC, interrupted microchannel (IMC) and straight microchannel (SMC) with the same hydraulic diameter and substrate length are presented to explore the effect of geometrical configuration on heat transfer enhancement. The parametric variations include the number of channels (n), transverse wall length (Ltw), channel aspect ratio (α), and flow Reynolds number. The results reveal that recharging microchannel shows better thermal performance compared to simple and interrupted microchannel with a maximum performance factor of 1.80. The results also indicate that the performance factor of RMC increases with an increase in the number of small channels, transverse wall length, and channel aspect ratio. The outcome of this study indicates the possible use of recharging microchannel heat sinks for high heat flux removal applications such as electronic cooling.