Infra-red thermography of laminar heat transfer during early thermal development inside a square mini-channel

Infra-red thermography (IRT) has been employed to experimentally scrutinize the thermo-hydrodynamics of very early part of hydrodynamically fully developed, but thermally developing, internal laminar flow of water (850 ⩾ Re ⩾ 100) in a mini-channel of square cross-section (5 mm × 5 mm; aspect ratio = 1.0; Dhyd 5 mm). The channel is machined on that face of an aluminum substrate whose dimensions are 11 mm × 140 mm; the total width of the substrate being 45 mm. A constant heat flux boundary condition is provided on the substrate face which is opposite to that on which the mini-channel is machined. Thus, the mini-channel receives heat from three sides; the fourth side being covered by an insulating poly-carbonate material. IRT provides non-intrusive and high-resolution spatial measurement of local wall temperature in the streamwise direction. By assuming a one-dimensional heat transfer model in the transverse direction, the local value of heat flux and therefore the Nusselt number, in the thermally developing region, can be estimated. Moreover, a 3D conjugate heat transfer numerical model, exactly corresponding to the real experimental conditions, has also been developed. The conjugate effects in the experiment arising due to the substrate, as well as the high heat transfer coefficient in the early thermal development zone, are analyzed. The errors and discrepancy in the in situ boundary conditions which may creep in due to such effects, especially in the estimation of transport coefficients in the developing flow region, are scrutinized and delineated. It is concluded that experimental estimation of local heat flux is a primary requirement for minimizing the errors in estimating local Nusselt number in developing flows. This in turn, necessitates the use of non-intrusive field measurement techniques, such as IRT.

► Infra-red thermographic study of laminar internal convection in square mini-channel.
► Local Nu for hydrodynamically fully developed but thermally developing flows.
► Very early stage of thermal entry length is experimentally scrutinized.
► 3D conjugate heat/fluid flow modeling and local streamwise heat flux measurement.
► Conjugate effects and resulting errors in data reduction are scrutinized.