Bioinspired design and optimization for thin film wearable and building cooling systems

Area of Science:

• Bioinspired engineering
• Microfluidics
• Heat transfer

Background:

• Traditional heat exchangers face limitations in integration with thin-film wearable devices and building surfaces.
• Cooling fluxes below 1 kW m⁻² require specialized, efficient thermoregulation solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce a paradigmatic shift in bioinspired microchannel heat exchanger design for enhanced thermoregulation.
• To optimize microchannel network performance by improving flow distribution uniformity.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a transparent thermoregulation device using a corrugated elastomeric film bonded to a substrate.
• Development of empirically derived sizing rules inspired by natural flow systems.
• Application of a novel numerical optimization method to maximize heat flux.

Main Results:

• Achieved a 25% to 37% increase in heat flux compared to non-optimized designs.
• Demonstrated enhanced uniformity of flow distribution within the microchannel network.
• Successfully fabricated and tested a scaled-up, numerically optimized heat exchanger.

Conclusions:

• The bioinspired microchannel heat exchanger design offers a versatile solution for various thermoregulation applications.
• The optimized design significantly improves thermal management efficiency in thin-film, wearable, and building-scale devices.
• This approach represents a significant advancement in microscale heat exchange for low cooling flux applications.