Effect of bifurcation angle in tree-shaped microchannel networks

Tree-shaped microchannel networks are being considered for thermal designs that require high heat transfer densities for the cooling of modern electronics. Here we investigate the effect of the bifurcation angles in the constructal nets on the fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of such networks using a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics approach. Results show that the bifurcation angle is an important factor which determines the performance of such cooling nets. Surface temperature distributions and pressure drop along the flow paths are analyzed and compared. For the same boundary conditions, a lower temperature and pressure variation is observed at lower bifurcation angles. (C) 2007 American Institute of Physics.