Flow and heat transfer characteristics of water and ethylene glycol-water in a multi-port serpentine meso-channel heat exchanger

Fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics in a multi-port serpentine meso-channel heat exchanger are numerically analyzed. Two liquid working fluids, namely water and an ethylene glycol-water mixture, are investigated as coolants. The results are compared with experimental data for the same geometrical and operating conditions. The numerical predictions of heat transfer rate, pressure and temperature drops in the coolants, and the core surface temperature around the serpentine bend agree very well with the experimental data. Simulation results show that the presence of a serpentine bend in the meso-channel heat exchanger enhances the heat transfer rate on average about 20% compared to a straight slab of the same length without the bend. The multi-port slab has flat heat transfer surfaces on the top and bottom faces where air flow has excellent contact and maintains a uniform temperature distribution. Also the parallel channels located inside the meso-channel slab core help to distribute the heat fairly evenly through all the channels. The serpentine meso-channel heat exchanger has a good potential application as an automotive radiator with reasonably enhanced heat transfer characteristics using an ethylene glycol-water mixture as the coolant.