Nanofluid Heat Transfer Mechanisms in Microchannel Systems

Microchannel heat transfer systems exploit fluid flow within passages with hydraulic diameters below one millimetre to achieve high heat‐flux removal. Nanofluids, comprising sub‐100 nm particles dispersed in conventional liquids, enhance thermal conductivity, modify viscosity and influence boundary‐layer behaviour. Key mechanisms include enhanced conduction through micro‐layer structures around nanoparticles, Brownian‐motion‐induced micro‐mixing, thermophoretic migration and interfacial thermal resistance. In laminar microflows, nanoparticle–fluid interactions and temperature gradients alter local heat transfer coefficients, while surface micro‐structures such as ribs, cavities or fins disrupt thermal boundary layers, intensifying convection. Optimisation involves balancing heat transfer gains against pressure‐drop penalties by tuning particle volume fraction, size, shape and surfactant chemistry. Advances in computational fluid dynamics and microfabrication have fostered tailored designs for electronics cooling, data‐centre immersion systems and portable biomedical devices. The interplay between experimental findings and numerical models underpins the transition of nanofluid microchannel technology from laboratory prototypes to commercial thermal management solutions worldwide.

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Nanofluid Heat Transfer Mechanisms in Microchannel Systems publication trend

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Technical terms

Nanofluid: A suspension of nanometre‐sized solid particles in a base fluid to enhance thermal properties.

Microchannel: A fluidic passage with hydraulic diameter typically less than one millimetre, used for high‐flux heat removal.

Nusselt number: Dimensionless measure of convective heat transfer rate relative to conduction across a boundary layer.

Reynolds number: Dimensionless ratio of inertial to viscous forces, indicating flow regime (laminar or turbulent).

Entropy generation: Measure of irreversibility in heat transfer and fluid flow, combining thermal and frictional contributions.

References

1. CFD analysis of hybrid nanofluid-based microchannel heat sink for electronic chips cooling: Applications in nano-energy thermal devices. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering (2023).
2. Impact of ribs on flow parameters and laminar heat transfer of water–aluminum oxide nanofluid with different nanoparticle volume fractions in a three-dimensional rectangular microchannel. Advances in Mechanical Engineering (2015).
3. A survey on experimental and numerical studies of convection heat transfer of nanofluids inside closed conduits. Advances in Mechanical Engineering (2016).