Eulerian-Lagrangian numerical investigation of the fluid flow properties and heat transfer of a nanofluid-cooled micro pin-fin heat sink

Background

While the potential benefits of hybrid nanofluids for heat transfer applications have been recognized, a comprehensive understanding of their thermal behavior remains elusive due to limited modeling data.

Methods

This study addresses this knowledge gap by leveraging Ansys Fluent and the Lagrangian-Eulerian technique to simulate a micro pin fin heat sink containing a novel hybrid nanofluid, composed of MoS₂-Cu₃O₄ nanoparticles suspended in water. The validity of the simulations is established through meticulous comparison with established experimental data documented in the literature. The hybrid nanofluid employed in the simulations is formulated with a concentration ranging from 0.1 % to 0.5 %. Thermo-fluidic characteristics of the studied cases such as thermal performance, friction factor, and Nusselt number are presented and discussed.

Significant Findings

The findings indicate that the use of a hybrid nanofluid with a 5 % concentration increases the average Nusselt number by 7.6 %, 9.1 %, and 12.8 % in different sections of the heat sink compared to a 1 % concentration. The maximum thermal performance in this study is associated with case D, where using MoS₂-Cu₃O₄ at a 5 % concentration and Reynolds number of 2000 results in an 8 % increase compared to the simple case.