Air cooling by multiport slabs heat exchanger: An experimental approach

While numerous studies have been undertaken to characterize the heat transfer and flow characteristics in microchannels, literature investigating the air-side performance of microchannel heat exchangers is scarce. Air-side heat transfer and flow characteristics were studied through an air to de-ionized water cross-flow serpentine microchannel heat exchanger through air cooling. In the single phase, twenty distinct operating conditions were maintained within the range of air and de-ionized water-side Reynolds number 283 ⩽ Rea ⩽ 1384 and 105 ⩽ Rew ⩽ 159 respectively, retaining the constant inlet temperatures of both fluids (Ta,i = 38 ± 0.5 °C and Tw,i = 9 ± 0.5 °C). Heat transfer and fluid flow key parameters were evaluated from experimental data. Heat balance performance was observed within 4% throughout the experiment, and major thermal resistance was found in the air-side, ranging from 89% to 94% of overall thermal resistance. The effects of Rew and Rea on air-side Nusselt number (Nua), friction factor (fa), and other parameters were examined, and general correlations were achieved.