Numerical Heat Transfer Analysis of a Rectangular Microchannel Heat Sink with Graphene-based Nanofluids

The advent of new technologies demands small integrated circuits which eventually increase heat dissipation per unit area. Therefore, microchannel heat sink with nanofluid as a coolant has emerged as a promising candidate for this purpose. In this manuscript, thermal performance and flow characteristics of graphene nanoplatelets (Gnp) suspended in distilled water (base fluid) as nanofluid have been studied for concentrations and mass flow rate in a rectangular microchannel. The geometry of the model and the simulation analysis were done in CATIAV5R20 and Ansys R19.2, respectively. The analysis was performed by solving a couple of governing equations for a set of input parameters and required boundary conditions. From the simulation, it is evident that the pressure drop of fluid increases with the increase in both mass flow rate and volumetric concentration of nanoparticles in the base fluid. An increase in the volumetric concentration of nanoparticles increases the total heat transferred from the base plate and conducting fins, resulting in higher outlet fluid temperature. An increase in the heat load on the base plate results in an increased temperature difference between the inlet and outlet. A significant gradient in the heat transfer coefficient could be observed along the length of the channel.