Numerical Investigation on Thermo-Hydrodynamic Performance of Recharging, Interrupted and Straight Microchannels: A Comparative Study

In this study, a three-dimensional numerical investigation on the thermo-hydrodynamic performance of a newly proposed recharging microchannel (RMC) is carried out. In this new design, a straight microchannel separated into more than one small channels and each small channels having individual inlet and outlet. This design enhances the heat transfer and makes the temperature almost uniform across the length of the substrate. The comparison of fluid flow and heat transfer performance between this recharging microchannel (RMC), interrupted microchannel (IMC) and straight microchannel (SMC) with same hydraulic diameter and substrate length were conducted to explore the effect of geometrical configuration on the heat transfer enhancement. The results reveal that for the recharging microchannel, the average Nusselt number increases by 49–122%, while the total pressure drop increases by 15–89%, compared with the interrupted and straight microchannel for the Reynolds number ranging from 100 to 500. From the result, it is also observed that for the investigated Reynolds number range the recharging microchannel having the highest thermal performance compared to interrupted and straight microchannel with a maximum performance factor of 1.80. The outcome of this study indicates possible use of recharging microchannel heat sinks for high heat flux removal applications such as electronic cooling.