Numerical investigation of nanofluid deposition in a microchannel cooling system
Meng Wang, Phillip S. Dobson, Manosh C. Paul
Abstract
Nanofluid-microchannels (NF-MCs) have emerged as an important topic for thermal management of electronic devices. However, deposition of nanoparticles is a tricky problem, and this paper conducts a numerical study to identify the best working conditions to prevent deposition of nanofluids in a microchannel cooling system. According to the findings, large nanoparticles, high velocity, low inlet temperature, high nanoparticle density, low nanofluid density, and high base fluid viscosity are the best working conditions for improving nanofluid stability. However, heat transfer rates and pressure drop must also be taken into account. The nanoparticle deposition rate and average heat transfer coefficient only increase by 2.71% and 0.92% respectively as the heat flux increases from 20 kW/m2 to 100 kW/m2, but the pressure drop decreases by 10.57%. Therefore, changing the heat flux is not the best option. Moreover, the inlet temperature has only a minor effect on the heat transfer coefficient, so it is crucial to balance the pressure drop and nanoparticle deposition when designing systems.