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A simple and efficient method, cutting microchannels, was put forward to improve the velocity distribution based on the traditional Z type microchannel plate. The resistance networks method was extended to the cutting microchannel plate and was utilized to analyze the impact of different cutting angles and cutting manners on the velocity distribution. Finally, optimal results were further confirmed by ANSYS Fluent analysis, and the heat and mass transfer performance were also investigated. The results found the cutting microchannel plate had higher heat transfer efficiency and lower pressure drop compared to the Z type microchannel plate, which provided a direct evidence that uniform velocity distribution resulted in higher performance of microchannel devices. • Cutting microchannel plate is proposed to improve the velocity distribution. • Resistance network method was used for fast calculations. • Heat and mass transfer efficiencies were investigated. • Even velocity distribution is in favor of the performance of the microchannel plate. Velocity distribution has a very important influence on the performance of microchannel devices. In this paper, a cutting microchannel plate was proposed, and the velocity distribution was investigated based on the resistance network method. The results showed that the asymmetric cutting microchannel plate had the most uniform velocity distribution. Finally, the optimal results were further confirmed via ANSYS Fluent simulation and the heat and mass transfer efficiencies were also investigated. Taken together, the present findings provide direct evidence that uniform velocity distribution results in the higher performance of microchannel devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A novel COBC with better particle suspension also showed excellent heat transfer performance. • Single-phase flow with particles added can significantly enhance heat transfer in COBC. • Particle size and concentration significantly affected the heat transfer performance. • Balancing heat transfer performance against power efficiency and suspension uniform led to an optimized Re o. An Eulerian-Eulerian two-fluid model which incorporates the kinetic theory of granular flow, the energy balance equations, was firstly applied to investigate the heat transfer performance of solid–liquid two-phase flow in continuous oscillatory baffled crystallizers (COBC). The results show that the novel COBC (#6) has both excellent heat transfer and particle suspension performance, as compared with other COBCs, indicating that importance of optimizing the chamber connection structure of COBCs. Then, the COBC #6 was further selected to study the effects of operating conditions and particle physical properties on its heat transfer performance. With increase of oscillation Reynolds number (Re o), the radial mixing of fluid gradually reaches the peak, resulting in the increasing rate of Nusselt number (Nu) gradually decreases. Compared with single-phase flow, the existence of solid particles can produce shear stress on the wall surface, reducing the thickness of heat transfer boundary layer and thermal resistance, thereby increasing the heat flux. With increase of particle size or volume fraction, such effect becomes more obvious, which significantly enhances heat transfer. The novel designed COBC can be operated in the optimized Re o to achieve good heat transfer performance and low power consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]