International Journal of Advanced Engineering Application

Thermal Performance Enhancement and CFD Analysis of Micro-Channel Heat Sinks with Hybrid Al₂O₃/TiO₂ Nanofluids for High-Power Electronics Cooling

Author(s):Arjun Krishnamurthy, Priya Subramaniam, Tanushree Bhattacharya

Affiliation: Centre for Computational Fluid Dynamics, JNTUH College of Engineering, Hyderabad, Telangana

Page No: 22-27

Volume issue & Publishing Year: Volume 3, Issue 5, 2026/05/06

Journal: International Journal of Advanced Engineering Application (IJAEA)

ISSN NO: 3048-6807

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20068924

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Abstract:
Thermal management of high-power electronics is a critical engineering challenge, with junction temperatures directly governing device reliability and failure rates. Micro-channel heat sinks (MCHS) offer significantly enhanced surface-area-to-volume ratios compared to conventional heat sinks, but their thermal performance is constrained by the thermophysical properties of the working fluid. Hybrid nanofluids — suspensions incorporating two or more nanoparticle species — present a promising avenue for augmenting convective heat transfer beyond what single-species nanofluids can achieve. This study presents a combined experimental and CFD investigation of Al₂O₃/TiO₂ hybrid nanofluid (60:40 volumetric ratio) at concentrations of 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1.0% vol. in a rectangular MCHS (Wₙ=300µm, Hₙ=600µm) over Re=200–900. The hybrid nanofluid at 1.0% vol. achieves peak Nusselt number enhancement of 38.4%, thermal resistance reduction of 29.6%, and a PEC of 1.31 — confirming net thermal-hydraulic benefit after accounting for the 18.7% pressure drop penalty. Maximum junction temperature is reduced by 11.4°C under 150 W/cm² heat flux. CFD velocity contours reveal secondary flow vortices near channel corners that contribute disproportionately to heat transfer augmentation at higher Re.

Keywords: micro-channel heat sink, hybrid nanofluid, Al₂O₃/TiO₂, CFD, Nusselt number, thermal resistance, electronics cooling, pressure drop, two-phase mixture model

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