Thermo-Hydraulic Optimization and Performance Assessment of Curved-Face Microchannel Heat Exchanger for Automotive Applications

Abstract

Microchannel heat exchangers (MCHEs) are extensively used in aerospace, automotive, refrigeration, electronics cooling, and compact thermal systems because of their superior heat transfer capability and compact structure. Conventional flat-face microchannel heat exchangers suffer from limitations such as non-uniform fluid distribution, higher thermal resistance, localized hot spots, and limited heat transfer enhancement. To overcome these issues, the present research proposes the design and thermal analysis of a curved face microchannel heat exchanger (CF-MCHE). The proposed curved geometry enhances secondary flow formation and fluid mixing, resulting in improved thermal performance. A detailed three-dimensional CAD model was developed and analyzed using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Thermal and hydraulic performances of the curved-face geometry were compared with conventional flat-face microchannel heat exchangers under similar operating conditions. The results indicate that the curved-face microchannel heat exchanger significantly improves heat transfer coefficient, temperature uniformity, and thermal efficiency while maintaining acceptable pressure drop characteristics. The curved geometry enhances fluid interaction near the wall surfaces by generating Dean Vortices and reducing thermal boundary layer thickness. The present study demonstrates that curved-face microchannel heat exchangers provide a promising solution for advanced compact cooling applications involving high heat flux conditions .