Thermo-Hydraulic Analysis of Non-Newtonian Nanofluid Flow in Porous Wavy Microchannels

Abstract

In the present study, the thermo-hydraulic performance of non-Newtonian nanofluid flow inside a porous wavy microchannel was numerically investigated under different permeability conditions. The computational model was developed based on a two-dimensional steady-state laminar flow formulation using the Darcy-Brinkman approach to simulate the transport phenomena inside the porous medium. The effects of permeability on velocity distribution, temperature field, heat transfer enhancement, pressure drop, and friction characteristics were comprehensively analyzed. The numerical results demonstrated that permeability has a significant influence on both the thermal and hydrodynamic behavior of the nanofluid flow inside the porous microchannel. Increasing permeability reduced the porous resistance force and enhanced fluid circulation throughout the channel, resulting in improved convective heat transfer performance. The obtained results indicated that the average Nusselt number increased with increasing permeability due to stronger thermal mixing and thermal boundary layer disruption generated by the wavy geometry. Furthermore, the sinusoidal microchannel configuration intensified local flow disturbances and secondary vortical structures, which contributed to additional heat transfer enhancement. However, lower permeability conditions produced larger pressure drops and higher friction factors because of stronger hydrodynamic resistance effects inside the porous region. The present numerical investigation confirmed that the combined utilization of porous media, wavy microchannel geometry, and non-Newtonian nanofluids can significantly improve the thermo-hydraulic performance of compact thermal systems. The obtained findings provide useful insight for the design and optimization of advanced cooling technologies employed in microelectronic devices, compact heat exchangers, and MEMS-based thermal management systems.