Thermal Performance Analysis of Tilted Fin Arrays with Temperature-Dependent Viscous Dissipation and Material Effects in Heat Exchange Systems

Year 2025, Volume: 6 Issue: 1, 57 - 81, 30.06.2025

Uchenna Uka , Edwin Esekhaigbe , Dıgbo Idıka , Godswill Kalu , Kelvin Agbo

https://doi.org/10.54559/amesia.1730032

Abstract

This study investigates the heat transfer performance of tilted fin arrays due to temperature-dependent, viscous dissipation, and material properties. Tilted fin arrays are crucial in thermal management systems such as electronics cooling, automotive heat exchangers, and power generation. The mathematical model integrates pertinent parameters, including tilt angles, material properties, magnetic effects (Hartmann number), and convective boundary conditions. The recovery of the ordinary differential equations is achieved using similarity variables and solved numerically with the Runge-Kutta fourth-order method and the bvp4c function in Maple V16. Results are validated against existing literature. Results revealed that increasing the temperature-dependent viscous dissipation parameter (1.0 ≤ A ≤ 4.0) enhances fluid velocity and temperature. An increased material parameter (0.1 ≤ P_m ≤ 1.5) and tilt angles (0 ≤ γ ≤ π/6) reduces velocity and elevates temperature. Understanding their effect in designing heat exchangers or microfluidic devices is crucial in selecting materials that balance flow efficiency with thermal requirements, ensuring optimal performance without excessive energy losses. The significance of the tilt angle lies in the flow separation and thermal distribution, particularly in solar collectors or inclined pipe systems, where optimizing the angle can improve heat transfer efficiency and prevent flow disruptions. A rising magnetic field (Hartmann number) suppresses flow and decreases wall heat transfer. Moreover, a higher convective boundary coefficient (0 ≤ E_h ≤ 0.3) reduces temperature, and thickens the thermal boundary layer. The present study highlights that tilt angle variations influence flow separation and provides valuable insights for optimizing thermal performance in engineering applications.

Keywords

Advection , energy exchange , numerical simulation , thermal conductivity , viscosity

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