Numerical Study of Microscale Heat Sinks Using Different Shapes and Fluids

H. Garg[1], A. K. Lall[2], Nidhi[3], V. S. Negi[1]
[1]Central Scientific Instruments Organisation, Chandigarh, India
[2]PEC University of Technology, Chandigarh, India
[3]UIET, Punjab University, Chandigarh, India
Published in 2013

Microchannel heat sinks designed for applications in electronic cooling and having microscale heat transfer combine the attributes of high material compatibility, high surface area per unit volume ratios, and large potential heat transfer performance with a highly sophisticated and economic fabrication process. The present study deals with different microchannel shapes and different properties of liquid coolants. In the present experiment, fluids like water, ethylene glycol, and certain customized fluids having carbon nanotubes are used to increase the performance of the system. A direct relationship was found between thermal resistance and pumping power using all the fluids and different shapes of the microchannel. It is inferred that the heat sink having the smallest hydraulic diameter has better performance in terms of pressure drop and thermal resistance.