Effects of Asymmetric Channel on the Convective Heat Transfer: A Computational Study

Abstract

In the fields of engineering, especially in the heat transfer area, the contribution of the fluid flows through different channels is remarkable. Among the different available shapes in the channel, the sinusoidal wavy channels are considered more efficient in the heat transfer areas such as cooling of electronic devices, boilers, biomedical applications, etc., due to their increased recirculation capability of mixing the flowing fluids - which increases the heat transfer performance, consequently. The optimization of channel design and modelling has been an engineering problem in recent years. In this research, flat, symmetric sinusoidal, and asymmetric sinusoidal channels were designed - using ANSYS 2020 - to investigate the effects of channel shape, amplitude, and aspect ratio of sinusoidal wavy walls on the overall heat transfer performance. Several designs have been considered in the present study at different Reynolds numbers and different aspect ratios, keeping the wall temperature as constant. The results of this study exhibit that at an aspect ratio of 0.4, the asymmetric channel shows the highest heat transfer effect due to increased recirculation tendency.