The effect of droplet length on nusselt numbers in digitized heat transfer

Digitized heat transfer, or DHT, is a new technique for the thermal management of electronic devices where discrete droplets are used in place of continuous flows. This paper investigates the thermal management potential of a DHT system through the numerical solution of the mass, momentum, and energy equations of a simplified droplet travelling between heated parallel plates. The analysis shows much larger Nusselt numbers can be obtained in comparison with continuous Graetz flow, with both constant wall temperature and constant wall flux boundary conditions. These increases are shown to be related to the internal droplet circulation caused by the discrete nature of the fluid flow, which enhances internal droplet mixing and heat removal.