Analysis of enhanced thermal transmission mechanism with microstructures by field synergy theory

Abstract

Abstract This study numerically examines the impact of oblique ribs and staggered herringbone microstructures on the heat transfer performance of microchannels. The results indicate that the Nux values of the oblique rib (Type A) and staggered herringbone (Type B) microchannels exhibit significantly higher performance compared to smooth rectangular (Type C) microchannels. The oblique ribs and staggered herringbone microstructures improve heat transfer efficiency along the flowing direction, leading to an evident increase followed by horizontal fluctuations in Nux . In contrast, the Nux of Type C without microstructures decreases significantly at the inlet and subsequently remains relatively constant. The bottom temperature Tw of Type A and B are lower than the temperature of Type C. The results of field cooperation analysis indicate that the synergistic fields of the oblique ribs microchannels primarily exist along both sidewalls, while they are present at the fluid center for the staggered herringbone microchannels. Type A exhibits a slightly stronger heat transfer effect despite having a smaller synergistic area compared to Type B.