Numerical and experimental heat transfer analysis of two-phase flow through microchannel for development of heat dissipation correlation
-
Santosh Kumar Rai
, Mahesh Kumar Gupta
Abstract
The current trend of reducing the size of electronic devices in the industry has extensively increased the demand for effective heat dissipation, thereby intensifying the need for high-performance heat-dissipating devices. A promising approach to solve this challenge is the use of single-phase (SP), two-phase (TP), and supercritical fluids in micro-channels (MCs). Two-phase cooling is applicable only to those devices in which the tip temperature is high enough to allow the cooling fluid to convert into a two-phase state. In all other cases, only single-phase cooling can be utilized. In this work, numerical and experimental investigations on MC have been performed using water as the working fluid to predict TP behavior and heat dissipation from electronic devices using SP and TP flow. A numerical model of flow boiling heat transfer was developed based on conservation equations, which is solved to identify the existence of single and two-phase regions in the MC and to study the variation of pressure along its length at different heating powers. Further, experiments were performed in both SP and TP conditions to observe the nature of flow regimes and the impact of various parameters on effective heat dissipation through MCs well as temperature distribution. Numerical results were validated with experimental results, which showed good agreement. Several experiments were also carried out to develop an empirical correlation between mass flow rate and heat power to maintain the electronic device temperature below 40 °C. The developed correlation is experimentally validated at three different heat powers 6 W, 8 W and 10 W.
-
Research ethics: Not Applicable.
-
Informed consent: Not Applicable.
-
Author contributions: Santosh Kumar Rai: Conceptualization and Original Draft. Vikas Goyat: Review & Editing. Mahesh Kumar Gupta: Data Curation. Gyander Ghangas: Experimental Setup. Dhowmya Bhatt: Programming. Arun Uniyal: Analysis. Pardeep Kumar: Methodology. Nikhil Vivek Shrivas: Analysis.
-
Use of Large Language Models, AI and Machine Learning Tools: Grammarly is used in the manuscript to check the grammar and linguistic errors.
-
Conflict of interest: The author states no conflict of interest.
-
Research funding: None Declared.
-
Data availability: Not Applicable.
References
[1] M. G. Khan and A. Fartaj, “A review on microchannel heat exchangers and potential applications,” Int. J. Energy Res., vol. 35, no. 7, pp. 553–582, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1002/er.1720.Search in Google Scholar
[2] G. Liang and I. Mudawar, “Review of single-phase and two-phase nanofluid heat transfer in macro-channels and micro-channels,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol. 136, pp. 324–354, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2019.02.086.Search in Google Scholar
[3] S. K. Rai, R. Sharma, M. Saifi, R. Tyagi, D. Singh, and H. Gupta, “Review of recent applications of micro channel in mems devices,” Int. J. Appl. Eng. Res., vol. 13, no. 9, pp. 64–69, 2018.Search in Google Scholar
[4] D. B. Tuckerman and R. F. W. Pease, “High-performance heat sinking for VLSI,” IEEE Electron Device Lett., vol. 2, no. 5, pp. 126–129, 1981, https://doi.org/10.1109/edl.1981.25367.Search in Google Scholar
[5] V. Yadav, K. Baghel, R. Kumar, and S. T. Kadam, “Numerical investigation of heat transfer in extended surface microchannels,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol. 93, pp. 612–622, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2015.10.023.Search in Google Scholar
[6] S. Kandlikar, S. Garimella, D. Li, S. Colin, and M. R. King, Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow in Minichannels and Microchannels, Oxford, Elsevier, 2005.Search in Google Scholar
[7] S. Szczukiewicz, M. Magnini, and J. R. Thome, “Proposed models, ongoing experiments, and latest numerical simulations of microchannel two-phase flow boiling,” Int. J. Multiphas. Flow, vol. 59, pp. 84–101, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijmultiphaseflow.2013.10.014.Search in Google Scholar
[8] P. Hegde, K. N. Seetharamu, G. A. Quadir, P. A. Aswathanarayana, M. Z. Abdullah, and Z. A. Zainal, “Thermal analysis of micro‐channel heat exchangers with two‐phase flow using FEM,” Int. J. Numer. Methods Heat Fluid Flow, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 43–60, 2005, https://doi.org/10.1108/09615530510571949.Search in Google Scholar
[9] A. Mehdizadeh, S. A. Sherif, and W. E. Lear, “Numerical simulation of thermofluid characteristics of two-phase slug flow in microchannels,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol. 54, nos. 15–16, pp. 3457–3465, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2011.03.040.Search in Google Scholar
[10] Y. Luo, J. Zhang, and W. Li, “A comparative numerical study on two-phase boiling fluid flow and heat transfer in the microchannel heat sink with different manifold arrangements,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol. 156, p. 119864, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2020.119864.Search in Google Scholar
[11] T. M. Adams, S. I. Abdel-Khalik, S. M. Jeter, and Z. H. Qureshi, “An experimental investigation of single-phase forced convection in microchannels,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol. 41, nos. 6–7, pp. 851–857, 1998, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0017-9310(97)00180-4.Search in Google Scholar
[12] P. Pontes, I. Gonçalves, M. Andredaki, A. Georgoulas, A. L. N. Moreira, and A. S. Moita, “Fluid flow and heat transfer in microchannel devices for cooling applications: experimental and numerical approaches,” Appl. Therm. Eng., vol. 218, p. 119358, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2022.119358.Search in Google Scholar
[13] A. A. Hussien, M. Z. Abdullah, and A. N. Moh’d A, “Single-phase heat transfer enhancement in micro/minichannels using nanofluids: theory and applications,” Appl. Energy, vol. 164, pp. 733–755, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2015.11.099.Search in Google Scholar
[14] M. T. Malazi, K. Kaya, and A. S. Dalkılıç, “A computational case study on the thermal performance of a rectangular microchannel having circular pin-fins,” Case Stud. Therm. Eng., vol. 49, p. 103111, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2023.103111.Search in Google Scholar
[15] D. Daniel, A. Mosyak, R. Akhvlediani, A. Hoffman, and G. Yossifon, “Enhanced cooling of electronic chips using combined diamond coating and microfluidics,” Phys. Rev. Appl., vol. 11, no. 1, p. 014047, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevapplied.11.014047.Search in Google Scholar
[16] R. Brinda, R. J. Daniel, and K. Sumangalaa, “Effect of aspect ratio on the hydraulic and thermal performance of ladder shape micro channels employed micro cooling systems,” Procedia Eng., vol. 38, pp. 2022–2032, 2012, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2012.06.244.Search in Google Scholar
[17] R. Brinda, R. J. Daniel, and K. Sumangala, “Ladder shape micro channels employed high performance micro cooling system for ULSI,” Int. J. Heat Mass Tran., vol. 55, nos. 13–14, pp. 3400–3411, 2012, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2012.03.044.Search in Google Scholar
[18] A. M. Sahar, J. Wissink, M. M. Mahmoud, T. G. Karayiannis, and M. S. A. Ishak, “Effect of hydraulic diameter and aspect ratio on single phase flow and heat transfer in a rectangular microchannel,” Appl. Therm. Eng., vol. 115, pp. 793–814, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2017.01.018.Search in Google Scholar
[19] Y. H. Pan, R. Zhao, X. H. Fan, Y. L. Nian, and W. L. Cheng, “Study on the effect of varying channel aspect ratio on heat transfer performance of manifold microchannel heat sink,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol. 163, p. 120461, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2020.120461.Search in Google Scholar
[20] P. S. Lee, S. V. Garimella, and D. Liu, “Investigation of heat transfer in rectangular microchannels,” Int. J. Heat Mass Tran., vol. 48, no. 9, pp. 1688–1704, 2005, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2004.11.019.Search in Google Scholar
[21] Y. Wang and Y. Peles, “An experimental study of passive and active heat transfer enhancement in microchannels,” J. Heat Tran., vol. 136, no. 3, p. 031901, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4025558.Search in Google Scholar
[22] N. A. C. Sidik, M. N. A. W. Muhamad, W. M. A. A. Japar, and Z. A. Rasid, “An overview of passive techniques for heat transfer augmentation in microchannel heat sink,” Int. Commun. Heat Mass Tran., vol. 88, pp. 74–83, 2017, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icheatmasstransfer.2017.08.009.Search in Google Scholar
[23] M. Bayareh, M. N. Ashani, and A. Usefian, “Active and passive micromixers: a comprehensive review,” Chem. Eng. Process. Process Intensif., vol. 147, p. 107771, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cep.2019.107771.Search in Google Scholar
[24] W. M. A. A. Japar, N. A. C. Sidik, R. Saidur, Y. Asako, and S. Nurul Akmal Yusof, “A review of passive methods in microchannel heat sink application through advanced geometric structure and nanofluids: current advancements and challenges,” Nanotechnol. Rev., vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 1192–1216, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1515/ntrev-2020-0094.Search in Google Scholar
[25] P. Bhandari, J. Singh, K. Kumar, and L. Ranakoti, “A review on active techniques in microchannel heat sink for miniaturization problem in electronic industry,” Acta Innovat., pp. 45–54, 2022, https://doi.org/10.32933/actainnovations.45.4.Search in Google Scholar
[26] I. C. Bang, “Boiling heat transfer enhancement in microchannels using nanoscale surface modification,” Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 534–543, 2011.Search in Google Scholar
[27] P. Borah and D. Bhanja, “Numerical analysis of two-phase cooling using nanofluids in microchannel heat sinks,” Therm. Sci. Eng. Prog., vol. 40, 2023.Search in Google Scholar
[28] Y. Liu, T. Zhang, L. Chen, and Q. Wang, “Experimental investigation of two-phase heat transfer performance of dielectric fluids for electronic cooling,” Appl. Therm. Eng., vol. 234, p. 120469, 2024.Search in Google Scholar
[29] A. Mukherjee and S. G. Kandlikar, “Numerical simulation of growth of a vapor bubble during flow boiling of water in a microchannel,” Microfluid. Nanofluidics, vol. 1, pp. 137–145, 2005, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10404-004-0021-8.Search in Google Scholar
[30] Y. Lin, et al.., “Numerical study of flow reversal during bubble growth and confinement of flow boiling in microchannels,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol. 177, p. 121491, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2021.121491.Search in Google Scholar
[31] W. Yu, L. Xu, S. Chen, and F. Yao, “Numerical study on flow boiling in a tree-shaped microchannel,” Fractals, vol. 27, no. 07, p. 1950111, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1142/s0218348x19501111.Search in Google Scholar
[32] H. Lee, et al.., “Thermal modeling of extreme heat flux microchannel coolers for GaN-on-SiC semiconductor devices,” J. Electron. Packag., vol. 138, no. 1, p. 010907, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4032655.Search in Google Scholar
[33] Y. Luo, J. Li, K. Zhou, J. Zhang, and W. Li, “A numerical study of subcooled flow boiling in a manifold microchannel heat sink with varying inlet-to-outlet width ratio,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol. 139, pp. 554–563, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2019.05.030.Search in Google Scholar
[34] Y. Lin, Y. Luo, W. Li, and W. J. Minkowycz, “Enhancement of flow boiling heat transfer in microchannel using micro-fin and micro-cavity surfaces,” Int. J. Heat Mass Transfer, vol. 179, p. 121739, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2021.121739.Search in Google Scholar
[35] E. Costa-Patry and J. R. Thome, “Flow pattern-based flow boiling heat transfer model for microchannels,” Int. J. Refrig., vol. 36, no. 2, pp. 414–420, 2013, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijrefrig.2012.12.006.Search in Google Scholar
[36] E. Costa-Patry, J. Olivier, B. A. Nichita, B. Michel, and J. R. Thome, “Two-phase flow of refrigerants in 85 μm-wide multi-microchannels: part I–Pressure drop,” Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 451–463, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatfluidflow.2011.01.005.Search in Google Scholar
[37] E. Costa-Patry, J. Olivier, B. Michel, and J. R. Thome, “Two-phase flow of refrigerants in 85 μm-wide multi-microchannels: part II–heat transfer with 35 local heaters,” Int. J. Heat Fluid Flow, vol. 32, no. 2, pp. 464–476, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatfluidflow.2011.01.006.Search in Google Scholar
[38] D. T. Pate, R. J. Jones, and S. H. Bhavnani, “Cavity-induced two-phase heat transfer in silicon microchannels,” in Thermal and Thermomechanical Proceedings 10th Intersociety Conference on Phenomena in Electronics Systems, 2006. ITHERM 2006, IEEE, 2006, p. 8.Search in Google Scholar
[39] R. J. Jones, D. T. Pate, N. Thiagarajan, and S. Bhavnani, “Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics in dielectric flow in surface-augmented microchannels,” J. Enhanc. Heat Transf., vol. 16, no. 3, pp. 225–236, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1615/jenhheattransf.v16.i3.20.Search in Google Scholar
[40] R. K. Sarangi, A. Bhattacharya, and R. S. Prasher, “Numerical modelling of boiling heat transfer in microchannels,” Appl. Therm. Eng., vol. 29, nos. 2–3, pp. 300–309, 2009, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2008.02.039.Search in Google Scholar
[41] Z. Liu, Q. Han, C. Zhang, and W. Li, “Experimental investigation of two-phase heat transfer in saw-tooth copper microchannels,” Int. J. Therm. Sci., vol. 196, p. 108740, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2023.108740.Search in Google Scholar
[42] S. Borah and D. Bhanja, “Enhanced thermo-hydraulic performance with two-phase flow boiling in wavy microchannel heat sink–A numerical investigation,” Numer. Heat Transf., Part A: Appl., vol. 86, pp. 1–27, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1080/10407782.2023.2275285.Search in Google Scholar
[43] W. Qu and I. Mudawar, “Flow boiling heat transfer in two-phase micro-channel heat sinks–I. Experimental investigation and assessment of correlation methods,” Int. J. Heat Mass Tran., vol. 46, no. 15, pp. 2755–2771, 2003, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0017-9310(03)00041-3.Search in Google Scholar
[44] B. Agostini, B. Watel, A. Bontemps, and B. Thonon, “Liquid flow friction factor and heat transfer coefficient in small channels: an experimental investigation,” Exp. Therm. Fluid Sci., vol. 28, nos. 2–3, pp. 97–103, 2004, https://doi.org/10.1016/s0894-1777(03)00027-x.Search in Google Scholar
[45] K. M. Kelkar, S. V. Patankar, and S. Kang, “Computational method for characterization of a microchannel heat sink involving two-phase flow,” in International Electronic Packaging Technical Conference and Exhibition, vol. 42002, 2005, pp. 151–160, https://doi.org/10.1115/ipack2005-73119.Search in Google Scholar
[46] Y. Zhu, D. S. Antao, D. W. Bian, T. J. Zhang, and E. N. Wang, “Reducing instability and enhancing critical heat flux using integrated micropillars in two-phase microchannel heat sinks,” in 2015 Transducers-2015 18th International Conference on Solid-State Sensors, Actuators and Microsystems (TRANSDUCERS), IEEE, 2015, pp. 343–346.Search in Google Scholar
[47] S. Liu, Y. Jiao, B. Gao, and B. Liu, “Experimental and numerical study of two-phase flow in a rectangular mini-channel with sudden expansion structure,” J. Enhanc. Heat Transf., vol. 27, no. 2, pp. 173–194, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1615/jenhheattransf.2020033052.Search in Google Scholar
[48] M. E. Hussain, S. K. Rai, S. Suman, P. Gupta, and M. K. Gupta, “Computational analysis of transfer of heat in micro size channels using different boundary condition in laminar flow,” in Biennial International Conference on Future Learning Aspects of Mechanical Engineering, Singapore, Springer Nature Singapore, 2022, pp. 445–455.Search in Google Scholar
[49] W. R. Lockhart, “Proposed correlation of data for isothermal two-phase, two-component flow in pipes,” Chem. Eng. Prog., vol. 45, no. 1, pp. 39–48, 1949.Search in Google Scholar
[50] F. P. Incropera, D. P. DeWitt, T. L. Bergman, and A. S. Lavine, Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer, vol. 6, New York, Wiley, 1996, p. 116.Search in Google Scholar
[51] S. G. Kandlikar, “A general correlation for saturated two-phase flow boiling heat transfer inside horizontal and vertical tubes. ASME,” J. Heat Transfer, vol. 112, no. 1, pp. 219–228, 1990, https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2910348.Search in Google Scholar
[52] S. K. Rai, P. Kumar, and V. Panwar, “Mathematical and numerical investigation of Ledinegg flow excursion and dynamic instability of natural circulation loop at supercritical condition,” Ann. Nucl. Energy, vol. 155, p. 108129, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anucene.2021.108129.Search in Google Scholar
[53] S. K. Rai, P. Kumar, and V. Panwar, “Numerical investigation of steady state characteristics and stability of supercritical water natural circulation loop of a heater and cooler arrangements,” Nucl. Eng. Technol., vol. 53, no. 11, pp. 3597–3611, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.net.2021.05.026.Search in Google Scholar
[54] S. K. Rai, P. Kumar, and V. Panwar, “Numerical analysis of influence of geometry and operating parameters on Ledinegg and dynamic instability on supercritical water natural circulation loop,” Nucl. Eng. Des., vol. 369, p. 110830, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nucengdes.2020.110830.Search in Google Scholar
[55] S. K. Rai, N. Ahlawat, R. Upadhyay, P. Kumar, and V. Panwar, “A study on the effect of geometry and operating variables on density wave oscillation in a supercritical natural circulation loop,” Computation, vol. 10, no. 2, p. 25, 2022, https://doi.org/10.3390/computation10020025.Search in Google Scholar
[56] A. Uniyal, Y. K. Prajapati, and D. Kumar, “Experimental investigation of wire-mesh equipped U-tube evacuated tube collector integrated with phase change material for hot water generation,” Appl. Energy, vol. 377, p. 124501, 2025, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2024.124501.Search in Google Scholar
[57] S. K. Pathak, A. Nayyar, and V. Goel, “Optimization of EGR effects on performance and emission parameters of a dual fuel (Diesel+ CNG) CI engine: an experimental investigation,” Fuel, vol. 291, p. 120183, 2021, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fuel.2021.120183.Search in Google Scholar
© 2025 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston