Convective Heat Transfer Characterization of Microchannel Heat Exchangers Stacked with Different Microweave Ribs and Columns

This study investigated the impact of different micro-rib arrangements on the flow and heat transfer performance of microchannel heat exchangers. Sixteen rib configurations were designed, and four optimized structures were analyzed through numerical simulations. Key parameters, including the velocity and temperature fields, pressure drop, friction coefficient, base temperature, and Nusselt number were evaluated against a smooth rectangular microchannel. The results reveal that the rib structures significantly increased the pressure loss and friction, with sharper profiles causing a higher resistance. Additionally, these induced throttling effects and generated horseshoe and wake vortices, thereby generating distinct flow patterns. The heat transfer was enhanced significantly, with a maximum base temperature reduction of 12.87 K and a 57.4% increase in the relative Nusselt number. Among the evaluated designs, the Type 1 microchannel achieved the best trade-off between pressure drop and heat transfer performance.