Experimental and Numerical Assessment of Iso-Flux Cooling with Low Reynolds Pulsating Water Flow

Abstract

Almost every scale in thermal engineering requires performance optimization to lessen energy demand. The possibility of using pulsating flow for water cooling was investigated both experimentally and numerically. The experiments were conducted below a 60 mL∙min−1 flow rate and frequencies of 3.3, 4, 5, 6.6, and 10 Hz. The flow rate and temperatures were monitored while the solenoid valve was actuated and cooled with thermoelectric coolers. The measurements were replicated by using commercially available software capable of doing large-eddy simulations with coupled thermal modelling. Thermal boundaries were created by using steady inflow temperature and iso-flux conditions. The experimental and numerical results were compared and evaluated. The results show that the Nusselt number of the examined pulsating flow was lower when compared to constant flow scenarios at the corresponding averaged flow rate.