An experimental and numerical investigation of chevron fin structures in serpentine minichannel heat sinks

• Published in: International journal of heat and mass transfer 2018-05, Vol.120, p.1213-1228
• Main Authors: Al-Neama, Ahmed F., Khatir, Zinedine, Kapur, Nikil, Summers, Jonathan, Thompson, Harvey M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Basis functions; CFD; Chevron fins; Computational fluid dynamics; Conjugate heat transfer; Convective heat transfer; Direct liquid cooling; Electronic components; Fins; Flow paths; Flow velocity; Fluid flow; Genetic algorithms; Heat exchangers; Heat flux; Heat sinks; Heat transfer; Hypercubes; Low pressure; Mathematical analysis; Mathematical models; Metamodels; Multi-objective genetic algorithm; Numerical analysis; Permutations; Pressure drop; Radial basis function; Secondary flow; Serpentine; Serpentine microchannel heat sink; Studies; Thermal resistance; Three dimensional models
• ISSN: 0017-9310; 1879-2189
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2017.12.092

•A comprehencive experimental and numerical study of chevron fins in serpentine minichannels.•Using chevron fins can reduce the pressure drop by 60% and the thermal resistance by 10%.•Accurate metamodels can be constructed using Radial Basis Functions.•A Pareto front is constructed to trade-off between pressure drop and thermal resistance. Water-cooled micro/minichannel heat sinks are an important component in managing the temperature of electronic components, particularly where high density of heat rejection is required. This study examines the potential to decrease the thermal resistance and enhance convective heat transfer of a serpentine heat exchanger by introducing chevron fins which create secondary flow paths. This novel design is found to significantly reduce both the pressure drop across the heat exchanger and the total thermal resistance by up to 60% and 10%, respectively, and enhance the average Nusselt number by 15%. A three-dimensional conjugate heat transfer model is developed and validated against experimental measurements, before being used to carry out a parametric study involving the chevron oblique angle, secondary channel width and heat flux. The design of the serpentine minichannel with chevron fins is then optimised in terms of the minichannel width, minichannel number and chevron oblique angle. A 50 point Optimal Latin Hypercubes Design of Experiment is constructed within the design variable space, using a permutation genetic algorithm, and accurate metamodels built using Radial Basis Functions. A Pareto front is constructed which enables designers to explore appropriate compromises between designs with low pressure drop and those with low thermal resistance.