Spatially-resolved heat transfer characteristics in channels with pin fin and pin fin-dimple arrays

► Spatially-resolved heat transfer in channels with pin fin and pin fin-dimple arrays. ► A combined method of experiments and numerical computation was adopted. ► The pin fin-dimple channel has globally enhanced heat transfer. ► In the main flow the pin fin-dimple channel has distinctively enhanced heat transfer. ► In the wake flow the pin fin-dimple channel has slightly lowered heat transfer.