The impact of various nanofluid types on triangular microchannels heat sink cooling performance

Abstract

This paper discusses the impact of using various types of nanofluids on heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics in triangular shaped microchannel heat sink (MCHS). In this study, an aluminum MCHS performance is examined using water as a base fluid with different types of nanofluids such as Al 2O 3, Ag, CuO, diamond, SiO 2, and TiO 2 as the coolants with nanoparticle volume fraction of 2%. The three-dimensional steady, laminar flow and heat transfer governing equations are solved using the finite volume method. It is inferred that diamond-H 2O nanofluid has the lowest temperature and the highest heat transfer coefficient, while Al 2O 3–H 2O nanofluid has the highest temperature and the lowest heat transfer coefficient. SiO 2–H 2O nanofluid has the highest pressure drop and wall shear stress while Ag–H 2O nanofluid has the lowest pressure drop and wall shear stress among other nanofluid types. Based on the presented results, diamond-H 2O and Ag–H 2O nanofluids are recommended to achieve overall heat transfer enhancement and low pressure drop, respectively, compared with pure water.