Numerical Investigation of Fully Developed Fluid Flow and Heat Transfer in Double-Trapezoidal Microchannels

Abstract

Fully developed fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of double-trapezoidal microchannels with constant wall temperature are numerically investigated in the slip flow regime. The governing equations are solved together with the appropriate boundary conditions using finite volume method. The effect of rarefaction on Poiseuille number, Po, and Nusselt number, Nu, is studied for Knudsen numbers, Kn, varying from 0 to 0.1. The effects of base angle, B, and aspect ratio, A, on the fluid flow and the heat transfer characteristics are also examined. The results reveal that the rarefaction and the cross-section shapes have prominent effects on these characteristics of double-trapezoidal microchannels. According to the results, the Poiseuille number decreases with increasing Kn, while the values of the Nusselt number completely depend on the impacts of the rarefaction and the fluid-surface interaction. Po and Nu decrease with aspect ratio for A<1, while the effect of aspect ratio on Po and Nu becomes unclear for A>1. Moreover, an increase in the base angle has a positive effect on Po and Nu, however this increasing trend is less pronounced for B > 60 ° and A < 1.67.