Heat and fluid flow analysis of micro-porous heat sink for electronics cooling: Effect of porosities and pore densities

Abstract

This investigation evaluates the hydrothermal efficiency of a micro-porous heat sink, utilizing water as a coolant and employing a single-phase model for analysis. The heat sink incorporates an aluminum metal foam as the micro-porous medium, with a focus on determining the optimal porosity (ε) and pore density (PPI) by examining variations within the ranges of 0.50 ≤ ε ≤ 0.90 and 10 ≤ PPI ≤ 50. This examination aims to delineate the effects of these variables on heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics. Assessment of thermal performance includes metrics such as log mean temperature difference (LMTD), average Nusselt number (Nuavg), thermal resistance (Rth), volumetric flow rate (Q), pumping power (PP), overall performance (OP), and performance evaluation criteria (PEC). Additionally, fluid flow characteristics are analyzed through the examination of thermal contours and flow streamlines. Findings indicate that reducing ε from 0.90 to 0.50 and PPI from 50 to 10 yields superior Nuavg and diminished Rth compared to conventional water-cooled micro-porous heat sinks. Notably, the most significant improvements in LMTD and Rth 83.04% and 61.44%, respectively, are observed with ε = 0.50 and PPI = 30 at a pressure drop (Δp) of 570 Pa. Consequently, ε = 0.50 and PPI = 30 are identified as the optimal parameters, achieving an enhancement of 396% compared to traditional non-porous heat sinks at the same pressure drop. This study recommends these parameters