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Numerical simulation of 1‐D incompressible laminar micro‐flow convection behaviour with temperature dependent fluid properties
Author(s) -
Mahulikar S. P.,
Herwig H.,
Hausner O.,
Kock F.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
pamm
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1617-7061
DOI - 10.1002/pamm.200410225
Subject(s) - laminar flow , nusselt number , thermodynamics , reynolds number , mechanics , heat flux , heat transfer , compressibility , combined forced and natural convection , materials science , momentum (technical analysis) , flow (mathematics) , viscosity , physics , natural convection , turbulence , finance , economics
Abstract This paper investigates the qualitative behaviour of single‐phase laminar convection for microchannels and conventionallysized channels formed between two parallel plates, captured by a numerical simulation on water flow. The convection parameters are obtained by separate numerical calculations on a series of parallel plates at constant temperatures. The pairs of parallel plates are maintained at progressively greater temperatures, to simulate the condition of increasing fluid temperature in a channel. The governing one‐dimensional (1‐D) momentum and energy equations are formulated to incorporate the dependence on temperature of both fluid viscosity ( μ ) and thermal conductivity ( k ). The qualitative behaviour of Nusselt number ( Nu ) decreasing with increasing Reynolds number ( Re ), exhibited by reported experimental data in literature, is simulated. Results show that it is practically dif_cult to observe this behaviour in the conventionally‐sized channels, but the effect easily surfaces in microchannels for practical lengths of flow and allowable high heat flux ( q ″ W ). (© 2004 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)