Modeling of thermal performance of liquid flow with nanosized particles of phase change material in microchannels.

摘要

In the present study, a numerical model is identified and used for investigating laminar flow in a microchannel incorporating suspension of nanosized P.C.M. particles. The effect of different parameters such as mass flow rate, heat flux applied to P.C.M. slurry and particle volume concentrations on the thermal performance is investigated. Effectiveness Ratio, Performance Index and Merit Number are used for the investigation of the thermal performance of P.C.M. slurry. Further a detailed investigation is performed to examine the effects of operating conditions and particle volume concentration on the volumetric entropy generation rate due to heat transfer and fluid friction. Lastly, a detailed study is performed to calculate the length of the microchannel required for obtaining maximum enhancement in heat storage capacity for different operating conditions and particle volume concentrations. The results show a significant improvement in heat storage capacity of slurry due to the addition of P.C.M. particles.