Experimental study of cooling performance of water-based alumina nanofluid in a minichannel heat sink with MEPCM layer embedded in its ceiling

Abstract

This work investigates experimentally the cooling performance of Al2O3/water nanofluid with 8 wt% concentration flowing through a minichannel heat sink with a MEPCM layer in its ceiling. The hydrothermal characteristics of the nanofluid-cooled minichannel heat sink are analyzed and the dimensionless wall temperature distribution, Nusselt number, heat transfer effectiveness, coefficient of performance, figure of merit, and wall temperature thermal resistance are assessed. The measured results show that the dispersion of alumina nanoparticles inside pure water declines the wall temperature and consequently enhances the heat transfer effect and Nusselt number augments. The maximum values of average heat transfer effectiveness and FOM at the inlet of the MCHS are achieved 1.4 and 1.27 by flowing nanofluid with 8 wt% nanoparticle concentration and Re = 1549, respectively. The results revealed that embedding MEPCM layer in the ceiling of the MCHS has little influence on the cooling performance of Al2O3/water nanofluid in the minichannel heat sink.