Optimization of Microchannel Design for Liquid Cooling

Abstract

In order to study the heat transfer of different designs of radiator, a test rig that represent scale-down version of the actual radiator has been built. This project work focuses on developing an optimized micro-channel to replace the radiator that would yield the best heat transfer performance using numerical simulation method. Five conceptual designs of micro-channel with different fins configurations were developed. Based on theoretical heat transfer analysis of these designs, two designs were selected for further analysis by numerical simulation using CFD software, ANSYS Fluent. Optimization of the geometry of the designs was then conducted using Fluent in order to come up with the best design for the micro-channel for the test rig.