Analysis and optimization of thermo-hydraulic characteristics of phase change slurry in wavy MCHS with porous fins based on RSM and desirability methods

Abstract

In this study, the hydromechanical and diathermanous characteristics of microencapsulated phase change material (MPCM) slurry in wavy microchannel heat sink (MCHS) with porous fins are investigated by using two–phase mixture and Dacry–Brinkman–Forchheimer models. Based on the finite volume method (FVM) and response surface methodology (RSM), 54 cases considering 6 structural parameters are carried out. The correlations of Nusselt number (Nu) and friction factor (f) in straight and wavy microchannels with phase change slurry and porous fin designs are creatively proposed and unified. The maximum deviations between the actual and predicted values of Nu and f are 13.24% and 14.21%, respectively. In addition, the effects of radiator's parameters on Nu and f are emphatically discussed and analyzed by using three-dimensional surface diagram. It reveals that within the range of parameters tested, wavy amplitude (A) has the most obvious effect on responses, while channel aspect ratio (α) has the least impact on them. Moreover, the interactive effects between the five structural parameters are significant and complex, as one factor influences the impact of another on responses. Finally, the optimal parameters are obtained by desirability method with the goal of maximum Nu and minimum f. The results indicate that the overall performance of optimized configuration improved by 48.6% over the initial design. Our results may provide helpful guidance for the optimization design of MCHS, as significant improvement in heat transfer coefficient is expected to save substantial operating costs.