Thermal Science and Engineering Progress最新文献

{"title":"Thermo-hydraulic analysis of a novel microchannel with zigzag cavities and waterdrop-shaped ribs for electronic chip cooling","authors":"Yushan Liu ,&nbsp;Dandan Ma ,&nbsp;Guodong Xia ,&nbsp;Jinhao Song ,&nbsp;Hui Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104567","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104567","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A novel microchannel integrated with zigzag cavities and waterdrop-shaped ribs was proposed in this study to enhance heat transfer. Numerical simulations were conducted to analyze the thermal–hydraulic performance of water in the novel microchannel, while the entropy generation principle was employed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms. Results show that: within a Reynolds number (<em>Re</em>) range of 341–796, compared with the straight microchannel (Structure-1), the zigzag microchannel (Structure-2), the straight microchannel with waterdrop-shaped ribs (Structure-3), the heated-surface average temperatures of the zigzag microchannel with waterdrop-shaped ribs (Structure-4) decreased by 24.1–30.1 K, 18.3–24.2 K, and 1.0–2.5 K, maximum temperature reduced by 33.3–39.7 K, 21.8–27.4 K, and 2.7–3.7 K, while the average Nusselt numbers (<em>Nu</em>_ave) exhibited maximum increments of 106.01%, 80.21%, 12.15%, respectively. At <em>Re</em> = 568, the pressure drop (<em>Δp</em>) of Structure-3 increases nearly seven times compared with Structure-1,<!--> <!-->and 32.42% higher than Structure-4. Notably, Structure-4 outperforms in both heat transfer and flow resistance. For all the same <em>Re</em>, the entropy generation increase number (<em>N</em>_s,a) of Structure-4 is 16.9%–22.5% lower than Structure-3, indicating that a synergistic combination of zigzag cavities and waterdrop-shaped ribs is superior in reducing the irreversibility of flow and heat transfer. The flow resistance of Structure-4 was reduced by 50.08%–57.73% compared with Structure-1 in the study range. The results can clarify the differences in heat transfer and fluid flow among diverse structures, and provide a foundation for microchannel selection, optimal design, and heat transfer efficiency enhancement.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23062,"journal":{"name":"Thermal Science and Engineering Progress","volume":"71 ","pages":"Article 104567"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147422143","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optical losses in photovoltaic solar panels: Mechanisms, modeling approaches, and mitigation strategies","authors":"Karam Shahrouri ,&nbsp;Ahmed Gamal Tolba ,&nbsp;Mohammad Hossein Doranehgard,&nbsp;Ahmad Vaselbehagh","doi":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104557","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104557","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Photovoltaic (PV) technology has emerged as a leading renewable energy solution, yet its efficiency is significantly constrained by optical losses arising from environmental and operational factors. We analyze the main categories of optical losses, including shading, soiling, snow, and reflection, and examine both their fundamental physical mechanisms and their impact on photovoltaic performance. Beyond characterizing loss mechanisms, we critically evaluate system-level mitigation strategies that address the optical obstructions (e.g., cleaning methods, anti-reflective coatings) and their downstream electrical consequences (e.g., reconfiguration strategies, bypass diodes). This review synthesizes experimental and modeling studies, spanning physics-based simulations and artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning models, and evaluates how they are used to predict and mitigate performance losses. It also examines how material choice (including amorphous silicon and bifacial modules), surface treatments, cleaning methods, panel orientation, site selection, and cooling strategies interact to reduce optical and thermal penalties. Integrating these mitigation techniques with predictive models outlines practical pathways to higher efficiency, reduced maintenance requirements, and improved long-term reliability across diverse climates. The article addresses critical gaps in existing literature by: (1) providing the first unified analysis of all optical loss mechanisms and their interactions, (2) conducting a quantitative meta-analysis comparing 47 prediction models, (3) developing a novel hybrid physics-AI modeling framework, and (4) offering climate-specific implementation guidelines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23062,"journal":{"name":"Thermal Science and Engineering Progress","volume":"71 ","pages":"Article 104557"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147421842","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A reduced-order model-based genetic algorithm for optimizing pin–fin arrays in multi-source electronics cooling","authors":"Renjie Jiang ,&nbsp;Tao Luo ,&nbsp;Jiangtao Liu ,&nbsp;Yanpei Huang ,&nbsp;Xiaowei Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104538","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104538","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The thermal management of densely packed electronic devices is often challenged by multiple heat sources with uneven power dissipation, which can lead to severe temperature non-uniformity and hot spots. To address this issue, we develop an efficient optimization framework for pin–fin heat sinks that integrates a genetic algorithm (GA) with a reduced-order model (ROM). The ROM enables rapid generation of large GA populations, eliminating the heavy cost of CFD- or experiment-based approaches, and its predictions are validated against high-order finite element simulations. In a case study with two heat sources of unequal intensity, the optimized fin distribution places larger fins near high-flux regions and smaller fins in low-flux areas, improving temperature uniformity by 22.2% while limiting the overall pressure drop increase to just 1.5%. The results demonstrate the potential of the ROM–GA framework as a scalable strategy for thermal optimization of pin–fin arrays, with applicability to more complex systems featuring multiple and irregularly shaped heat sources.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23062,"journal":{"name":"Thermal Science and Engineering Progress","volume":"71 ","pages":"Article 104538"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147422100","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The influence of green roof pot designs, openings, and spacing on the heat flow in the growth medium by CFD simulations","authors":"Chih-Fang Fang ,&nbsp;Bing-Yuan Ou ,&nbsp;Indra Permana ,&nbsp;Alya Penta Agharid ,&nbsp;Fujen Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104552","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104552","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study employed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to investigate the effect of green roof pot opening design on the internal heat flow field of the growing medium, aiming to address the issue of elevated root zone temperature (RZT) that may impact plant growth. To isolate convective heat transfer mechanisms, this study focused exclusively on thermal convection, temporarily excluding the effects of solar radiation and evapotranspiration. The model was validated using experimental data, with an error rate of less than 7.6%, confirming its accuracy. Firstly, for a 25 cm × 25 cm × 20 cm (L × W × H) pot, increasing the opening ratio on the pot walls effectively enhances internal air circulation, thereby lowering RZT. An opening ratio of 40% was found to be optimal; compared to closed pots, it achieved a temperature reduction of approximately 10.7 °C at a depth of 2.5 cm (YZ cross-section), with cooling benefits saturating beyond this point. Secondly, by comparing the convective heat exchange efficiency of a small pot (25 cm × 25 cm × 20 cm) and a large pot (50 cm × 50 cm × 40 cm), the study found that the small pot exhibited higher convective heat exchange efficiency due to its smaller media mass and volume. Lastly, regarding pot spacing, a 12.5 cm gap was found to enhance media ventilation and significantly improve convective cooling through the Venturi effect and vortices, resulting in the strongest airflow at the windward and leeward sides. Compared to no spacing, the temperature difference between spaced and non-spaced configurations reached up to 6 °C on the windward and leeward sides (at 2.5 cm and 22.5 cm depths on the YZ cross-section). In conclusion, optimizing container openings and layout can significantly increase airflow within the medium, thereby providing a suitable RZT for plant growth.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23062,"journal":{"name":"Thermal Science and Engineering Progress","volume":"71 ","pages":"Article 104552"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147422192","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Techno-economic evaluation of coaxial borehole heat exchangers conversion from abandoned petroleum wells","authors":"Dong Xiao ,&nbsp;Haotian Hu ,&nbsp;Gui Tang ,&nbsp;Haijun Tang ,&nbsp;Yifei Ma ,&nbsp;Yinhui Zuo ,&nbsp;Zheng Chu ,&nbsp;Ruitao Yang ,&nbsp;Ting Li ,&nbsp;Gao Li","doi":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104583","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104583","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Converting abandoned petroleum wells (APWs) into coaxial borehole heat exchangers (CBHEs) offers a practical route to reduce drilling costs and expand geothermal energy utilization. This study proposes a coupled techno-economic evaluation framework that integrates monetized social benefits, including energy savings and CO₂ emission reductions, to assess the feasibility of APW-to-CBHE conversion. A representative case from the Sichuan Basin, China, is used to quantify the sensitivity of economic performance to key parameters. Under baseline conditions, direct-use heating yields a 30-year net present value (NPV) of 0.29 M$ with a breakeven year of 12, whereas electricity generation is not economically viable due to the low thermal-to-electric efficiency (∼2%). An insulated tubing depth of 2,500  m maximizes NPV to 0.33 M$ and shortens the breakeven year to 11. The minimum viability thresholds are an insulated tubing depth ≥ 300 m and a working fluid flow rate ≥ 9 m³/h. Economic incentives—namely a 30% increase in heat price, a 30% capital subsidy, or a carbon price of 20 $/t—raise the final NPV to 0.48, 0.47, and 0.45  M$, respectively, and reduce the breakeven year to 9, 7, and 9. These results delineate the conditions under which APW-to-CBHE conversion can become a cost-effective geothermal reuse option under evolving energy and carbon policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23062,"journal":{"name":"Thermal Science and Engineering Progress","volume":"71 ","pages":"Article 104583"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147422300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A social sustainability assessment of a newly developed solar thermal energy system for industrial integration","authors":"Imaad Zafar ,&nbsp;Valentina Stojceska ,&nbsp;Antonio J. Rovira de Antonio ,&nbsp;Ruben Abbas ,&nbsp;Juan Pedro Solano Fernandez ,&nbsp;Jose Munoz Camara ,&nbsp;Peter Kew ,&nbsp;Krzysztof Naplocha ,&nbsp;Savvas Tassou","doi":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104566","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104566","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The deployment of solar thermal energy (STE) systems plays a critical role in decarbonising industrial heat demand; however, their sustainability performance includes not only technical efficiency and environmental impacts but also social considerations across the supply chain. This study presents a comprehensive social sustainability assessment of a newly developed STE system focusing on the manufacturing stages of its main components: SunDial concentrator, a phase change material (PCM) thermal storage tank, and a control unit. Social risks were quantified using a database driven risk hour (RH) approach, across different impact categories. including health and safety (H&amp;S), fair payment, excessive working time, gender equality and policy compliance. The data were collected using Social Hotspot Database (SHDB) software, which simulated social risk levels based on material quantities and countries of origin of system components.</div><div>The results revealed that social risks are strongly dependent on country of origin and economic sector, rather than material quantity alone. The SunDial component manufactured in Spain demonstrated moderate H&amp;S and gender inequality risks within the steel sector, while comparable components produced in Germany showed consistently low social risk levels. Similarly, manufacturing of PCM tank subcomponents in the Polish non-ferrous metals sector showed increased H&amp;S risks, largely driven by high policy non-compliance and exposure to metal dust, while chemical production in the Netherlands showed substantially lower social risks due to stricter regulatory implementation.</div><div>The findings highlight the importance of geographically and sector specific social assessments when sourcing components for renewable energy systems. Incorporating social sustainability metrics at early stages of design can guide responsible supply chain decisions, improving the overall sustainability performance and social acceptability of industrial STE technologies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23062,"journal":{"name":"Thermal Science and Engineering Progress","volume":"71 ","pages":"Article 104566"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147422256","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Thermodynamic analysis of pressure-volume phase difference in a V-type thermal-lag engine under asymmetric conditions","authors":"Duc-Thuan Phung","doi":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104568","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104568","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Thermal-lag engines, similar to Stirling engines, are versatile in harnessing various renewable thermal sources such as solar, geothermal, and biomass energy. Previous studies have been limited to single-cylinder thermal-lag engines, with few studies on V-type thermal-lag engines. Motivated by this gap, the present study investigates V-type thermal-lag engine performance using a second-order thermodynamic model to explore the relationship between the pressure–volume phase difference and power output. Several parameters including heating temperature, initial crank angle, regenerative heater, and compression chamber thermal resistances under asymmetrical operating conditions are varied to quantify the relationship between the pressure–volume phase difference and power output. The study shows that the first-mode pressure–volume phase difference predominantly governs work production. As the heating temperature increases, the first-mode phase difference decreases from 175.4° to 172.0° while power output rises from 2.54 W to 3.58 W. Moreover, variations in compression-chamber thermal resistance significantly affect performance, with an optimal resistance of 2 K/W producing a peak power output of 3.70 W. Especially, the strong linear dependence between the first-mode pressure–volume phase difference and power output is a novel finding.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23062,"journal":{"name":"Thermal Science and Engineering Progress","volume":"71 ","pages":"Article 104568"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147422669","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A novel comparative analysis of heat transfer in a PCM-based heatsink integrated with metal foam under rectangular and trapezoidal pulsed heat fluxes","authors":"Razie Hasanzahraei,&nbsp;Habib-ollah Sayehvand","doi":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104526","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104526","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This work provides an in-depth numerical investigation of how phase change material (PCM) thermally behaves in a PCM-metal-foam heat sink when exposed to time-varying rectangular and trapezoidal pulsed heat fluxes. The PCM undergoes repeated melting and solidifying as the exterior wall is cooled by convective heat transfer. The enthalpy-porosity approach is used to simulate the phase transition, while natural convection effects are treated through the Darcy-Brinkman model. The non-dimensional equations were treated using a finite element discretization and solved in COMSOL Multiphysics. The numerical scheme and resulting outputs were validated through detailed comparisons with available benchmark results, each confirming high accuracy. It was observed that the completion of the first rectangular-pulse cycle corresponds to a 3 K increase in the battery surface temperature relative to its baseline state. At the onset of the second cycle, the PCM has returned to its initial thermal state within that same time frame. Based on these observations, it was found that the total cycle time is approximately 4.5 times longer than the pulse time itself, and the cycles that followed exhibited consistent behavior. In addition, the heatsink behavior was evaluated under a hypothetical scenario in which the thermal pulse followed a trapezoidal shape, while maintaining the same total heat input as the equivalent rectangular pulse. The results showed that when a trapezoidal pulse is applied, the onset of heat-related effects is delayed, the battery surface temperature decreases at each instant, and the period during which the temperature remains at its peak is significantly shorter. In addition, by lowering the maximum and raising the minimum efficiency, the trapezoidal flux limited efficiency fluctuations and yielded a more stable thermal response. Comparison of trapezoidal heat pulses with different decline slopes showed that reducing the pulse slope shortened the dwell time at the peak temperature, thereby enhancing battery safety and prolonging its lifespan. Furthermore, minimizing efficiency fluctuations contributed to improved performance and stability of the heatsink. Lower Biot numbers increased both the average battery surface temperature during the pre-stabilization phase and the dwell time at the peak temperature under rectangular and trapezoidal pulsed heat fluxes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23062,"journal":{"name":"Thermal Science and Engineering Progress","volume":"71 ","pages":"Article 104526"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146081782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic enhancement of flow boiling heat transfer in open microchannels via topology optimization and surface wettability control","authors":"Yufan Gong ,&nbsp;Jianwei Lin ,&nbsp;Yuanle Zhang ,&nbsp;Qiang Li ,&nbsp;Haojie Huang ,&nbsp;Xuemei Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104549","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104549","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The escalating thermal loads in advanced electronic devices necessitate efficient cooling solutions. While microchannel flow boiling demonstrates exceptional heat dissipation potential, its practical application is constrained by flow instability and limited heat transfer efficiency. In this study, a synergistic strategy that combines topology optimization with surface wettability regulation is proposed to overcome these challenges. High-performance microchannels were first developed through topology optimization, followed by subsequent surface functionalization to impart superhydrophilic (SHPi), hydrophilic (HPi), and superhydrophobic (SHPo) properties. The results indicate that the topology-optimized microchannels enhances heat transfer performance while reducing flow resistance. The rationally engineered flow paths and enlarged heat transfer area promote effective fluid mixing, achieving a maximum <em>FOM</em> of 1.52. Flow stagnation zones at micropillar ends provide preferential nucleation sites, substantially reducing boiling inception superheat. The optimized configuration achieved 53% increase in average heat transfer coefficient with 57% pressure drop reduction relative to the baseline microchannels. Surface wettability significantly influences phase-change behaviors. The SHPo surface facilitates vigorous bubble nucleation and results in superior heat transfer coefficients and lower pressure drops during initial boiling stages. However, at elevated heat fluxes, it becomes prone to vapor film formation and partial channel dryout, leading to a sharp increase of pressure drop. In contrast, the SHPi surface enables the formation of a stable stratified flow regime at high heat fluxes, wherein vapor is confined within the upper open gaps while the bottom channel wall remains continuously wetted. This configuration effectively minimizes wall temperature and pressure fluctuations, thereby suppressing flow boiling instability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23062,"journal":{"name":"Thermal Science and Engineering Progress","volume":"71 ","pages":"Article 104549"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147421838","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improved forecasting using a novel hybrid machine learning model for flow parameters in an advanced heat exchanger","authors":"Ahmad Aboul Khail ,&nbsp;Ali Karah Bash","doi":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104565","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tsep.2026.104565","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the rising demand for high-performance thermal management systems in critical industries such as aerospace, nuclear energy, and advanced manufacturing, optimizing the efficiency of heat exchangers is crucial. Plate heat exchangers (PHEs) are crucial for enabling efficient fluid heat transfer; however, predicting their thermo-hydraulic properties remains challenging due to the complex fluid-thermal interactions. This research presents a new integrated machine learning ML hybrid model, augmented with advanced analytics, to strengthen the prediction of thermo-hydraulic characteristics in advanced PHEs. A unique plate design, incorporating a hyperbolic tangent function for wavy structures and heat transfer with minimal frictional losses. By using the SST k-ω turbulence model, high-resolution simulations provide a detailed analysis of complex flow. The hybrid ML model undertaken in this study passes through four stages, within which the predictions that are being developed perform subsequent iterations through some classical models that include Coarse Gaussian SVMR (CG-SVMR), Matern Regression (MR), Quadratic SVMR (Q-SVMR), Rational Quadratic GPR (RQ-GPR), Robust Linear Regression (RLR), and Squared Exponential GPR (SE-GPR). The model’s adjustment is guided by performance indicators, including R², SI, NSE, MAE, and RMSE. Ultimately, the SE-GPR emerged as the best-performing model in the final stage, achieving the highest performance metrics with R² = 0.985, RMSE = 0.015, and NSE = 0.981. The current findings suggest that the model is capable of predicting the Nusselt number (Nu), friction factor (f), and performance (P). Additionally, findings confirmed that the proposed geometry enhances heat transfer by up to 28% while maintaining lower frictional losses than conventional chevron-type plates. The study further provides a strong framework for the optimization of PHE designs to satisfy industrial needs for higher efficiency and cost reduction. Integrating machine learning techniques in the design of thermal systems can pave the way for novel improvements in heat exchanger design.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":23062,"journal":{"name":"Thermal Science and Engineering Progress","volume":"71 ","pages":"Article 104565"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147422140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}