Numerical Analysis of a Hybrid Heat Sink Using Phase Change Material: Application to Cooling of Electronic Components

摘要

The aim of the present work is to study the thermal performance of a hybrid heat sink used for cooling management of protruding substrate-mounted electronic chips. The power generated in electronic chips is dissipated in phase change material (PCM n-ecosane with melting temperature T_m= 36°C) that filled a rectangular enclosure. The advantage of using this cooling strategy is that the PCMs are able to absorb a high amount of heat generated by electronic component (EC) without acting the fan, during the charging process (melting of the PCM). A (2D) mathematical model was developed in order to analyze and optimize a heat sink. The governing equations for masse, momentum and energy transport were developed and discretised by using the volume control approach. The resulting algebraic equations were next solved iteratively by using TDMA algorithm. Numerical investigations were conducted in order to optimize the thermal performance of the heat sink. The optimization involves determination of the key parameters of the heat sink that maximize the time required by the base of the electronic component to reach a critical temperature.