Structure optimization and cooling performance of a heat sink with discontinuous arc protrusions impacted by nanofluid confined slot jet impingement

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to improve the overall heat transfer performance and the temperature uniformity of the heat sink and to explore the effects of the jet Reynolds number and the nanoparticle volume fraction of the nanofluids on the flow and heat transfer performance. Design/methodology/approach A heat sink with discontinuous arc protrusions in the wall jet region is proposed for confined slot jet impingement. A sloping upper cover plate is added to improve the heat transfer effect in this area. An Al2O3-water nanofluid is selected as the working fluid of the jet for better heat transfer. The Standard k-e turbulence model is used for numerical calculation. The key structural parameters of the heat sink are optimized by the response surface method and a genetic algorithm. The effects of the jet Reynolds number (Re) and the nanofluid concentration (phi) on the flow and heat transfer performance of the optimized heat sink are investigated. Findings The average Nusselt number of the optimal heat sink is 8.2% higher and the friction resistance is 5.9% lower than that of the initial flat plate heat sink when phi = 0.02 and Re = 8,000. The discontinuous arc protrusions and the sloping upper cover plate substantially enhance the heat transfer in the later stage of jet development, improving the temperature uniformity of the heat sink. The maximum temperature difference of the optimal heat sink is 28.1% lower than that of the flat plate heat sink at the same nozzle height. As the jet Reynolds number and the nanofluid particle concentration increase, the Nusselt number of the optimized heat sink and the friction coefficients increase, resulting in a decrease in the evaluation coefficient. However, the overall temperature uniformity of the heat sink is improved under all conditions. Originality/value The novel heat sink structure provides a new way to enhance the heat transfer and temperature uniformity of confined slot jet impingement. The flow and heat transfer performance of the heat sink impinged by confined slot jet of nanofluids are obtained. The combination of response surface method and genetic algorithm can be applied to the multi-objective optimization of heat resistance and flow resistance of heat sink.