Heat and mass transfer performance of fluid flow behind an L-shaped flexible beam connected to a cylinder within a microchannel at various Reynolds numbers

Abstract

To analyze and compare the influence of an asymmetric flexible beam connected to a bluff body on the heat and mass transfer performance of microchannel flow at different Reynolds number, this study numerically investigated the effects of an L-shaped flexible beam with varying sizes connected to a cylinder on pressure loss, Nusselt number, and outlet mixing efficiency of the microchannel flow at three Reynolds numbers based on the cylinder diameter Red of 25, 50, and 100. The results revealed that adjusting the dimensions of the L-shaped flexible beam enhances the thermal and mixing performance of the microchannel flow compared to the fluid flow within the microchannel with only a single cylinder under the same inlet flow condition. This enhancement is particularly significant at Red = 25, where the L-shaped flexible beam facilitates the transition of flow pattern to vortex flow from the laminar flow observed within the channel with only a single cylinder. Compared to the single cylinder configuration, the Nusselt number and the outlet mixing efficiency increased by 29.42%, 27.68%, 25.51% and 434.75%, 29.67%, 16.54% when Red are 25, 50, and 100, respectively. This research provides valuable insights into enhancing the heat and mass transfer efficiency of low-Reynolds-number microchannel flow through the utilization of advanced asymmetric flexible vortex generators, with potential applications in high-efficiency microfluidic mixing enhancement and thermal management.