Heat Transfer Enhancements in Wavy Channel Systems

Passively augmenting convective heat transfer through the introduction of wavy or corrugated channel walls has emerged as a robust strategy for improving thermal management in compact heat exchangers, electronic cooling modules and process equipment. The waviness imposed on channel walls promotes flow separation, vortex formation and repeated reattachment, which in turn disrupts the thermal boundary layer and boosts local mixing. By tailoring the amplitude, wavelength and phase of the channel undulations, one can balance increased heat transfer rates against the accompanying penalty in pressure drop. Recent studies have explored a wide spectrum of configurations, from sinusoidal and trapezoidal corrugations to sharp-edged and porous-filled wavy passages, often in concert with advanced working fluids such as nanofluids or hybrid suspensions. The result is a portfolio of design principles that enhance the Nusselt number by up to two-fold, while providing practical routes to optimise overall thermal-hydraulic performance for energy-efficient applications.

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Heat Transfer Enhancements in Wavy Channel Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in heat transfer enhancements in wavy channel systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Wavy channel: A fluid passage whose walls follow a periodic undulation to induce secondary flows and boundary-layer disruption.

Corrugation amplitude: The peak-to-trough height of the wall undulation that determines the intensity of flow disturbance.

Nusselt number (Nu): A dimensionless metric quantifying the ratio of convective to conductive heat transfer at a boundary.

Reynolds number (Re): A dimensionless ratio of inertial to viscous forces in a fluid, governing flow regime and turbulence onset.

Nanofluid: A suspension of nanoscale particles in a base fluid engineered to improve thermal conductivity and convective heat transfer.

Darcy number (Da): A dimensionless measure of permeability in porous media, indicating how easily fluid passes through.

Entropy generation: A thermodynamic quantity representing irreversibility in heat transfer and fluid friction processes.

References

1. Thermal and hydraulic characteristics of turbulent nanofluids flow in trapezoidal-corrugated channel: Symmetry and zigzag shaped. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering (2018).
2. Numerical study of laminar convective heat transfer from a corrugated pipe into an Al2O3–AlN/H2O hybrid nanofluid. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering (2022).
3. Investigation of Forced Convection Enhancement and Entropy Generation of Nanofluid Flow through a Corrugated Minichannel Filled with a Porous Media. Entropy (2020).