Experimental heat transfer and numerical flow of narrow channel with pin-fin array

This study performs experimental heat transfer measurements over the endwall of a narrow channel fitted with the staggered pin-fin array. The three dimensional turbulent flow inside such a pin-fin channel is analyzed using Star-CD commercial software. Experimental heat transfer measurements are interpreted by the numerical flow results in the attempt to reveal the thermal physics relevant to the mechanics for heat convection and for heat transfer augmentations. The channel width to height ratio (aspect ratio) investigated by this experimental and numerical study is 4. Experimental Reynolds numbers are ranging from 10000-30000. Wall temperature measurements acquired by the infrared thermograph system are used to evaluate local endwall Nusselt numbers (N̄u) with which the experimental correlation for spatially averaged Nusselt number (Nu) is accordingly derived. The three dimensional numerical flow analysis adopts k-̇turbulence model with the flow velocity components as well as the turbulence intensity determined at Re = 30000. The research results can be treated as design references with cooling applications to turbine blade, heat exchanger and electronic chipsets.