Heat-transfer enhancement in a uniformly heated slot mini-channel due to vortices shed from an adiabatic circular cylinder is numerically investigated. The effects of gap spacing between the cylinder and bottom wall on wall heat transfer and pressure drop are systemically studied. Numerical simulations are performed at Re=100, 0.1⩽Pr⩽10 and a blockage ratio of D/H=1/3. Results within the thermally developing flow region show heat transfer augmentation compared to the plane channel. It was found that when the obstacle is placed in the middle of the duct, maximum heat transfer enhancement from channel walls is achieved. Displacement of circular cylinder towards the bottom wall leads to the suppression of the vortex shedding, the establishment of a steady flow and a reduction of both wall heat transfer and pressure drop. Performance analysis indicates that the proposed heat transfer enhancement mechanism is beneficial for low-Prandtl-number fluids.