Nanoparticles are a promising solution to thermal energy challenges in electronic devices
Nanoparticles are a promising solution to thermal energy challenges in electronic devices lead image
Effectively heating and cooling devices can reduce energy consumption in critical areas, such as electronic cooling and in solar collectors. Researchers of heat transfer applications have been developing nanofluids as an alternative to conventional fluids, which have low thermal conductivity. The use of metallic or non-metallic nanoparticles in nanofluids results in higher thermal conductivity and more efficient performance.
To better understand this strategy, researchers used numerical modeling to study convection inside a confined space with a rough heated surface to identify methods of thermal enhancement and optimization. They examined the impact of roughness features, or surface elements, as well as nanoparticle concentration.
Ting et al. learned the addition of surface features in mixed convective scenarios conducted heat better from the heated surface to the surrounding fluid. As well, the addition of nanoparticles in a fluid not only increased the heat transfer but also reduced the total entropy generation.
“For cavities filled with nanofluids, entropy minimization is critical for achieving optimum performance of solar thermal collectors and enhancing cooling for electronic devices,” author Prodip Das said. “The addition of nanoparticles in a base fluid will enhance heat transfer and reduce the total entropy generation. Thus, better heat transfer performance can be achieved.”
The authors’ numerical modeling considered parameters such as Rayleigh number, Reynolds number, amplitude and number of roughness elements, and concentration of nanoparticles.
The authors intend on applying the present research to electronic cooling devices and a solar thermal collector to demonstrate how their results can lead to improved performance of heat transfer.
Source: “Effect of surface roughness on heat transfer and entropy generation of mixed convection in nanofluid,” by Kevin Ting, Aloke K. Mozumder, and Prodip K. Das, Physics of Fluids (2019). The article can be accessed at https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5111104 .
