Developed and quasi-developed macro-scale flow in micro- and mini-channels with arrays of offset strip fins

Abstract

We investigate to what degree the steady laminar flow in typical micro- and mini-channels with offset strip fin arrays can be described as developed on a macro-scale level, in the presence of channel entrance and sidewall effects. Hereto, the extent of the developed and quasi-developed flow regions in such channels is determined through large-scale numerical flow simulations. It is observed that the onset point of developed flow increases linearly with the Reynolds number and channel width but remains small relative to the total channel length. Furthermore, we find that the local macro-scale pressure gradient and closure force for the (double) volume-averaged Navier–Stokes equations are adequately modeled by a developed friction factor correlation, as typical discrepancies are below 15% in both the developed and developing flow region. We show that these findings can be attributed to the eigenvalues and mode amplitudes, which characterize the quasi-developed flow in the entrance region of the channel. Finally, we discuss the influence of the channel side walls on the flow periodicity, the mass flow rate, as well as the macro-scale velocity profile, which we capture by a displacement factor and slip length coefficient. Our findings are supported by extensive numerical data for fin height-to-length ratios up to 1, fin pitch-to-length ratios up to 0.5, and channel aspect ratios between 1/5 and 1/17, covering Reynolds numbers from 28 to 1224.