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 <= Re-a <= 1384 and 105 <= Re-w <= 159 respectively, retaining the constant inlet temperatures of both fluids (T-a,T-i = 38 +/- 0.5 degrees C and T-w,T-i = 9 +/- 0.5 degrees 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 Re-w and Re-a on air-side Nusselt number (Nu(a)), friction factor (f(a)), and other parameters were examined, and general correlations were achieved. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.