Numerical Investigation of Thermohydraulic Performance in Laminar Flow through Microchannels Equipped with Longitudinal Vortex Generators.

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 Departement of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Technology Sciences, Constantine 1, Frères Mentouri University, Constantine 25000, Algeria.

2 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Technology Sciences, Constantine 1, Frères Mentouri University, Constantine 25000, Algeria

Abstract

Vortex generators (VGs) are widely employed to enhance heat transfer in channel flows by inducing vortices, with their performance strongly influenced by geometric parameters and flow conditions. This study numerically investigates the thermohydraulic performance of laminar flow (Re = 200–1200) in a rectangular microchannel (H = 0.26 mm) equipped with longitudinal vortex generators (LVGs) of reduced height (0.75H). The objective is to assess the impact of reduced LVG height on pressure loss and heat transfer enhancement, using water as the working fluid. Numerical simulations were validated against existing data, with deviations remaining below 10%, and were subsequently conducted for three LVG orientation angles (30°, 135°, and 150°). The results indicate that at Re = 1200, the LVGs increased the friction factor by up to 6% for 30° and 150° and 8% for 135°, while increasing the Nusselt number by up to 18% for 30° and 150° and 24% for 135°. The highest thermal performance factor of 1.21 was achieved at the 135° orientation for Re=1200, identifying it as the optimal configuration among those tested.

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Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 20 June 2025
  • Receive Date: 10 December 2024
  • Revise Date: 26 May 2025
  • Accept Date: 20 June 2025