Effects of flow maldistribution on the thermal performance of cross-flow micro heat exchangers

The combined effect of viscosity- and geometry-induced flow maldistribution on the thermal performance of cross-flow micro heat exchangers is investigated with reference to two microchannel cross-sectional geometries, three solid materials, three mass flow rates and three flow nonuniformity models. A FEM procedure, specifically developed for the analysis of the heat transfer between incompressible fluids in cross-flow micro heat exchangers, is used for the numerical simulations. The computed results indicate that flow maldistribution has limited effects on microchannel bulk temperatures, at least for the considered range of operating conditions.