<p style="text-align: justify">Microscale duct flow is characterized by large laminar pressure drop. Due to the wide applications of microchannel flow in different areas, such as drug delivery and microelectronics cooling, exploring new methods to manipulate their hydrodynamic and thermal behavior can result in improved performance and energy saving benefits. Our goal here is to obtain a better understanding of the flow physics inside microchannels with microstructures on the walls. We are working on investigating the combined effect of flow and heat transfer numerically when there are spanwise square trenches. The microstructures on the surfaces increase the wetting surface area which is expected to increase the friction (skin drag). On the other hand, the recirculation generated inside the grooves helps increase the slippage of main flow and reduce pressure drop along the microchannel. It should also be noted that recirculation causes a negative pressure difference opposing the flow direction (pressure drag). We are focusing on this trade-off between the drag reducing and drag increasing factors in textured microchannel flow based on the different geometrical parameters of the trenches. Moreover, the textures disturb the thermal boundary layer and can potentially improve thermal transport through recirculation mixing. However, the convective heat transfer is poor in the stagnant fluid trapped inside the grooves. In this ongoing research, we are interested in figuring out if any combination of the geometrical parameters of the trenches can result in both drag reduction and thermal transport enhancement.</p>

Investigating the Potential Drag Reduction and Thermal Transport Improvement in Textured Microchannels

Paper Proceedings: https://asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/FEDSM/FEDSM2021/volume/85284

ASME 2021 Fluids Engineering Division Summer Meeting (FEDSM2021)

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