Effect of solid/porous finned system on cooling of heat-generating element in a cavity filled with non-Newtonian nanosuspension and bottom heat-conducting substrate

Nowadays effective cooling of heat-generating elements can be obtained using suitable working heat transfer fluid and/or optimal extended heat transfer surface e.g. fins. A combination of these two approaches can allow preparing an effective cooling system for heat-generating elements in electronics and power engineering. The present investigation deals with mathematical modeling of heat transfer performance in an engineering system having a local heater of constant internal volumetric heat flux and a heat sink with fins as well as a pseudoplastic nanofluid as a working heat transfer liquid. Additionally in the present research a comparison between solid and porous fins influence on the cooling effect has been conducted. A combination of carboxymethylcellulose with H2O and Cu nanoparticles has been used as a working power-law liquid. The partial differential governing equations written employing the conservation laws for mass, momentum and energy have been worked out employing the finite difference schemes and non-primitive variables. The in-house numerical code has been verified comprehensively. The calculated data are analyzed by the distributions of local isolines for stream function and temperature combined with average temperature of the heat-generating element. It has been revealed that porous fin is more effective compared to the solid one due to more essential heat transfer surface. From another side it is possible to control the thermal energy removal by optimal choosing the porosity and permeability of the metal foam fin.