Date of Award

2012

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.Sc.

Department

Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering

Keywords

Mechanical engineering.

Supervisor

Fartaj, Amir (Mechanical, Automotive, and Materials Engineering)

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

Narrow-channels have been subjected to diversified research and application interests due to miniaturized geometry and lightweight, superior heat transfer characteristics, and better energy efficiency. Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) cooling is one of the most important challenges in the automotive industry due to its changing thermo-physical properties as a result of temperature and frictional environment which exist, inside the transmission. In this study, efforts have been accumulated to justify the suitability of Minichannel Heat Exchanger (MICHX) application in characterizing ATF cooling and its flow behaviours. An experimental investigation has been conducted with the aid of a well-equipped closed loop thermal wind tunnel, which uses a wavy finned MICHX as the test specimen. During the experiment, ATF mass flow rates were varied to achieve Reynolds Number of 3 í▄ ReL í▄ 30. The effects of serpentines on ATF heat transfer and flow behaviours were investigated in a laminar flow regime. Heat transfer enhancement was observed due to the serpentine structure. The effects of dimensionless parameters; such as Reynolds number, Nusselt number, Prandtl number, Brinkman number, and Ekert number on heat and mass transfer characteristics were examined. Heat and mass transfer correlations were established while considering variable property ratio. The investigation showed promising heat transfer characteristics and good agreement in flow-field with the established phenomena of MICHX.

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