Heat Transfer Characteristics of Wavy-Wall Channels in Micropolar Fluids

Forced convection flow through a sinusoidally curved converging-diverging channel in micropolar fluids has been investigated numerically. A simple coordinate transformation is employed to transform the complex wavy-wall channel to a parallel-plate channel, and the cubic spline alternating-direction implicit method is then used to solve the flow patterns and heat transfer characteristics. The effects of the wavy geometry, vortex viscosity parameter and Reynolds number on skin-friction coefficient and Nusselt number have been examined in detail. Results show that the flow through a sinusoidally curved converging-diverging channel forms a strong forward flow and a reticular vortex within each wave for larger Reynolds number and wavy amplitudes. The heat transfer rate of a micropolar fluid is smaller than that of a Newtonian fluid, but the skin friction of a micropolar fluid is larger than that of a Newtonian fluid. Moreover, both Reynolds number and wavy amplitude tend to enhance the total heat transfer rate, irrespective of whether the fluids are Newtonian fluids or micropolar fluids.