DESIGN OF AN EFFICIENT ACTIVE COOLED MESO-SCALE HEAT EXCHANGER USING FUNCTIONALLY GRADIENT MATERIALS

摘要

The cooling system explored in this project is the fluid flow through an array of parallel micro-channels. Among the advantages of this cooling method is the closeness of the micro-channels to the heat source and therefore the thermal resistance is reduced. Among the disadvantages is the non-uniform variation of heat flux throughout the body of the heat exchanger. This in turn causes uneven expansion which results in high induced thermal strains, warping and even cracks. We propose to use Functionally Gradient Materials to offset this effect of thermal gradient loading.