Flow Pattern Transition and Thermohydraulic Performance in Microchannels With Opposing Rigid Ribs

This article investigates the impact of opposing rigid ribs (ORRs) on the flow pattern transitions and thermohydraulic performance of fluid flow inside microchannels across an inlet Reynolds number range of 50–500. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of various ORR designs is conducted to evaluate and compare their thermohydraulic performance. The results indicate that introducing a single ORR pair design induces a transition from laminar to vortex flow as the ORR height decreases. This enhances Nu but also increases pressure loss. In contrast, increasing the number of ORR pairs weakens the heat transfer performance by blocking the flow pattern transition. The four ORR pair designs reduce Nu by up to 35.46% compared to the single ORR pair design, while increasing the maximum pressure drop by 357.45%. These findings offer valuable insights into the design of microchannel structures for enhanced thermal management.