Developing flow in microchannel having regular microstructure
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Date
2018-05
Authors
Tan, Yan Xu
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Abstract
Microchannel is used as compact heat exchangers or microcoolers in electronics
packaging in many engineering system. The system performance depends on laminar
flow development in the microchannels. Sometimes, the use of short microchannel
lengths is insufficient to yield a fully developed flow. In other words, only developing
flow could prevail along the channel length. Thus, it is essential to determine the
distance needed for a flowing liquid before a fully developed flow condition could
prevail. The main objective of the work is focused on exploring the effects of different
surface topologies on the hydrodynamic entrance region in the channels. This study is
carried out by using ANSYS FLUENT 16.1, a finite volume based computational fluid
dynamics (CFD) software package to simulate the fluid flow in parallel plate and
rectangular microchannel having regular microstructure. The data obtained from the
simulation are then processed by using MATLAB to determine the hydrodynamic
entrance length. As expected, regular microstructure has the effect on hydrodynamic
entrance length of both increasing and decreasing the hydrodynamic entrance length of
parallel plate and rectangular microchannel with its microstructure parameter of
dimensionless period extent of groove-rib combination, L and no slip fraction δ.