Numerical study on heat transfer and flow characteristics of symmetric Tesla-type microchannel heat sinks

• Heat transfer efficiency enhances through thermal boundary layer disruption and redevelopment. • Reverse flow results in lower peak temperatures and improved temperature uniformity. • Localized vortices and complex flow patterns promote heat transfer. • PEC and PECTR highlight SYMTVM’s superior performance than TVM and RM. • The SYMTVM-Reverse achieves optimal thermo-hydraulic performance for future application. This study numerically investigates the thermal performance of multi-stage Tesla valve microchannels (TVM) and a symmetric variant (SYMTVM) using single-phase deionized water, with mass flow rates ranging from 0.5459 to 1.6377 g/s. Both designs, particularly under reverse flow, exhibit lower peak temperatures and reduced temperature gradients compared to forward flow. The SYMTVM, characterized by its increased vortices and bifurcations, periodically disrupts and redevelops the thermal boundary layer, enhancing heat transfer efficiency. The TVM exhibits a significantly higher pressure drop than the SYMTVM across all flow conditions, with the reverse flow in TVM reaching up to 2.48 times that of forward flow and exceeding SYMTVM, especially at a peak flow rate of 1.6377 g/s. The performance evaluation criteria ( PEC ) and thermal resistance criteria ( PECTR ) demonstrate the superior performance of SYMTVM, with a reduced connection angle between the trunk and helix regions enhancing thermal efficiency. Furthermore, the SYMTVM-Reverse structure with a 30° interconnection angle demonstrates superior performance compared to the conventional rectangular microchannel (RM), achieving a Nusselt number ( Nu ) that is five times higher than that of the RM and an overall performance up to 2.59 times greater. These results indicate the SYMTVM-Reverse’s high heat transfer efficiency and its capacity to effectively balance thermo-hydraulic performance, even with increased power dissipation.