Heat dissipation performance of nanofluid flowing in microchannels of chips

Thermal management severely limits performance improvements and the integration of high-power chips. To improve the comprehensive performance of microchannel heat sinks, a multi-criteria thermodynamic evaluation framework, which integrates heat transfer enhancement, pump power consumption, and entropy generation, is adopted to address the limitations of traditional evaluation methods. Based on the single-phase homogeneous laminar model and finite element method with a segregated solver, the flowing characteristics, heat transferring properties, and entropy generation of Fe ₃ O ₄ and TiO ₂ nanofluids under varying Reynolds numbers and particle volume fractions are systematically analyzed. The results show that, compared to water, the volume fractions of TiO ₂ and Fe ₃ O ₄ nanofluids are 6%, the heat transfer coefficients will be enhanced by 12.2% and 14.3%, respectively, and the Fe ₃ O ₄ nanofluid achieves lower entropy generation and better overall thermodynamic performance. Besides, multi-objective optimization results based on the thermodynamic evaluation framework reveal that the parameter range (Reynolds number: 400–500, volume fraction: 2%–4%) can balance thermal and hydraulic performance, while satisfying the temperature requirements for normal chip operation. This study provides reliable theoretical support for the design of high-efficiency cooling systems for high-heat-flux electronic devices.