Thermal performance analysis of a microchannel heat sink cooling with copper oxide-indium (CuO/In) nano-suspensions at high-temperatures

• Published in: Applied thermal engineering Vol. 137; pp. 700 - 709
• Main Authors: Sarafraz, M.M., Arjomandi, M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 05.06.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: Copper; Copper oxide; Copper oxides; Correlation analysis; Fluid dynamics; Fluid flow; Friction; Friction factor; Heat flux; Heat transfer; Heat transfer coefficient; Heat transfer coefficients; Indium; Liquid Indium; Mass flow; Microchannels; Nanofluids; Nanoparticles; Nusselt number; Peristaltic flow; Pressure drop; Regression analysis; Solidification; Friction factor; Peristaltic flow; Heat transfer coefficient; Copper oxide; Liquid Indium
• ISSN: 1359-4311; 1873-5606
• DOI: 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.04.024

•Thermal performance of CuO/liquid indium nanofluid was experimentally investigated.•A rectangular microchannel was used as a heat exchanging medium.•∼900% enhancement in Heat transfer coefficient compared to water was achieved.•Liquid indium nanofluid was more suitable for high temperature applications.•Penalty for pressure drop in peristaltic flow of CuO/indium was registered. An experimental investigation was conducted on the thermal performance and pressure drop of a microchannel heat sink under the low heat flux condition. Copper oxide nanoparticles (with the mean particle size of 50 nm) was dispersed in the liquid indium and experiments were conducted at 170 °C to avoid from solidification. The heat transfer coefficient, pressure drop and friction factor of the microchannel heat sink were experimentally measured at different mass concentrations of the liquid metal nanofluid and at different caloric temperatures. Results showed that with an increase in the applied heat flux to the microchannel, the higher heat transfer coefficient was achieved. In addition, with an increase in the peristaltic mass flow, higher heat transfer coefficient was registered. For the nanoparticle concentrations of up to 1%, no significant enhancement in the heat transfer coefficient was seen, however, for higher mass concentrations of up to 8%, the heat transfer coefficient increased and for the mass concentrations >8%, the heat transfer coefficient decreased. The correlations available in the literature have failed to estimate the Nusselt number for the CuO/In nanofluid, thereby using the regression analysis, a new correlation was proposed for the Nusselt number with a deviation of ±20%. A massive penalty in pressure drop was also registered for the liquid indium nanofluid at the mass concentration of 8% and higher.