Constrained optimal duct shapes for conjugate laminar forced convection

The complex variable boundary element method (CVBEM) is used to analyze con jugate heat transfer in solids with cooling passages of general, convex cro ss section. The method is well-suited to duct cross sections with high curv ature and high aspect ratios because the whole-domain boundary integrals ar e path independent and analytic. The effects of channel boundary curvature on overall heat transfer are quantified for the first time. Shape-constrain ed optimal solutions involving fixed pressure drop and fixed pump work are presented. Increased channel boundary curvature is shown to decrease the op timal distance between parallel channels by increasing fin efficiency. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.