Numerical Investigation on Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Behaviors of Viscous Fluids in a Minichannel Heat Exchanger

Abstract

Heat transfer and flow characteristics of different viscous liquids, such as engine oil, automatic transmission fluid, 50% ethylene glycol, and deionized water, were numerically analyzed through a multi-port serpentine minichannel heat exchanger (MICHX). The heat transfer performance of engine oil was found to be poor compared to other fluids. Pressure drop in MICHX for engine oil was found to be much greater compared to water. The distribution of temperature, mass flow rate, and heat transfer rate in each channel is more even for high-viscosity fluids compared to low-viscosity fluids. The entrance region effects on thermal and flow fields for high-viscosity fluids were observed negligible.

Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful to the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the University of Windsor for financial support for the current and ongoing research.