Title: A parametric study of laminar convective heat transfer in fractal minichannels with hexagonal fins
Abstract: International Journal of Energy ResearchVolume 44, Issue 12 p. 9382-9398 SPECIAL ISSUE RESEARCH ARTICLE A parametric study of laminar convective heat transfer in fractal minichannels with hexagonal fins Xi Yang, Xi Yang Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorLichuan Wei, Lichuan Wei School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China Research and Development Center, Shenzhen Envicool Technology Co, Ltd, Shenzhen, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorFeng Cao, Corresponding Author Feng Cao [email protected] School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China Correspondence Liwen Jin, Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China. Email: [email protected] F. Cao, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China. Email: [email protected] for more papers by this authorLiyu Zhang, Liyu Zhang Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorZhao Lu, Zhao Lu Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorXiangzhao Meng, Xiangzhao Meng Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorLiwen Jin, Corresponding Author Liwen Jin [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0002-4927-0111 Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China Correspondence Liwen Jin, Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China. Email: [email protected] F. Cao, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China. Email: [email protected] for more papers by this author Xi Yang, Xi Yang Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorLichuan Wei, Lichuan Wei School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China Research and Development Center, Shenzhen Envicool Technology Co, Ltd, Shenzhen, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorFeng Cao, Corresponding Author Feng Cao [email protected] School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China Correspondence Liwen Jin, Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China. Email: [email protected] F. Cao, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China. Email: [email protected] for more papers by this authorLiyu Zhang, Liyu Zhang Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorZhao Lu, Zhao Lu Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorXiangzhao Meng, Xiangzhao Meng Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, ChinaSearch for more papers by this authorLiwen Jin, Corresponding Author Liwen Jin [email protected] orcid.org/0000-0002-4927-0111 Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China Correspondence Liwen Jin, Institute of Building Energy and Sustainable Technology, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China. Email: [email protected] F. Cao, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an 710049, China. Email: [email protected] for more papers by this author First published: 11 November 2019 https://doi.org/10.1002/er.4942 This paper is an extended and revised article presented at the International Conference on Sustainable Energy and Green Technology 2018 (SEGT 2018) on 11 to 14 December 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Summary The excess heat generated by the modern electronic components and devices leads to a sustained growth in demand for thermal management technologies. Inspired by the features of fractal structures in terms of the periodical interruption of boundary layer and the strong flow mixing, a parametric study is carried out to study the flow and heat transfer performance in the fractal minichannels configured with hexagonal fins. A dimensionless performance factor involving average Nusselt number and average friction factor is defined to evaluate the overall performance with considering heat transfer enhancement and additional friction loss. The parametric effects of branching angle θ (60°-120°) and relative hexagonal side length α (1.00-2.00) on laminar hydrodynamics and thermal characteristics in the proposed minichannels are numerically investigated for Reynolds number ranged from 50 to 550. The results emphasize a lower temperature and more uniform temperature distribution on the bottom surface and an advantage of overall performance for the fractal minichannel with hexagonal fins over the conventional straight minichannel. It is noted from the results that the variation of branching angle possesses little effect on the maximum temperature and temperature uniformity of the bottom surface. On the basis of the evolution of the performance factors, the best performance is obtained by the branching angle of 60° and the relative hexagonal side length of 1.50 among the tested configurations, and the maximum temperature and temperature uniformity of the bottom surface are reduced by 16.4 K and 84%, respectively, when comparing with the straight channel as the reference object. This study verified the theoretical conjecture that the application of hexagonal fins in minichannel plays an important role in effectively improving heat transfer in the case of controllable pressure loss. Volume44, Issue12Special Issue: Sustainable Energy and Green Technologies10 October 2020Pages 9382-9398 RelatedInformation