Thermo-Hydraulic Performance of Pin-Fins in Wavy and Straight Configurations

Abstract

Pin-fins configurations have been investigated recently for different engineering applications and, in particular, for a cooling turbine. In the present study, we investigated the performance of three different pin-fins configurations: pin-fins forming a wavy mini-channel, pin-fins forming a straight mini-channel, and a mini-channel without pin-fins considering water as the working fluid. The full Navier–Stokes equations and the energy equation are solved numerically using the finite element technique. Different flow rates are studied, represented by the Reynolds number in the laminar flow regime. The thermo-hydraulic performance of the three configurations is determined by examining the Nusselt number, the pressure drop, and the performance evaluation criterion. Results revealed that pin-fins forming a wavy mini-channel exhibited the highest Nusselt number, the lowest pressure drop, and the highest performance evaluation criterion. This finding is valid for any Reynolds number under investigation.

Editorial for the Special Issue on Heat and Mass Transfer in Micro/Nanosystems

“…With the rapid advances in computational technologies, numerical modeling and simulations have been proven as a valuable complement for studying complex systems and processes. In this direction, Saghir and Ranman [ 5 ] numerically investigated the thermal and hydraulic performances through minichannels with different pin-fin configurations, and their results showed that the wavy pin-fin configuration exhibited the best performance with a high Nusselt number and a low pressure drop. On the other hand, Jbeili and Zhang [ 6 ] examined the convective heat transfer performances of flows through porous materials, and found that, in addition to the porosity, the aspect ration of the microscopic porous structure and the possible interfacial thermal resistance can also affect the macroscopic thermal performance of the porous media.…”