Parametric investigation of a rectangular microchannel utilizing the internal longitudinal fins to enhance its hydraulic and thermal characteristics

Abstract

A comprehensive study on the hydraulic and thermal behaviors of a microchannel with internal longitudinal fins under an H2 boundary condition has been done, and it has been tried to improve its performance via geometric optimization. The conjugate method was utilized to simulate the heat transfer in both fluid and solid domains through the finite volume method, and the Figure of Merit (FOM) was used to compare the thermal and hydraulic performances. The optimization process has multiple steps, and in each step, the impact of the geometric parameters of the internal fins on convective heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop, and FOM was investigated. During the optimization process, the optimal value of the area fraction of fins, its corresponding aspect ratio, and the number of fins have been investigated step by step, and they have been determined as 26%, 0.5, and 16, respectively. At the end of this study, the performance of the microchannel improves by more than 50%. Also, the hydraulic and thermal responses of the microchannel to Reynolds number were studied, and it was proved that the total hydro-thermal performance of the system decreases by increasing the Reynolds number.