Publication: Numerical investigation of thermal performance for PCM-based heat sink
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Date
2024-07-08
Authors
Keh, Jing Yang
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Abstract
Efficient thermal management is critical for modern electronic devices due to increasing performance demands and complexity. This study investigates the thermal performance of a hybrid phase change material (PCM) heat sink, combining the advantages of natural convection and PCM technology. Traditional natural convection heat sinks and fully PCM heat sinks were also analysed for comparison. The hybrid heat sink performance was evaluated by varying the PCM volume ratio (i.e., 10%, 20%, 50%, and 100%) and fin thickness (i.e., 0.5mm, 1mm, and 2mm). Numerical simulations were conducted using ANSYS Fluent, and results were validated against experimental data available in the literature. Numerical results indicate that hybrid heat sinks outperform traditional natural convection heat sinks and fully PCM heat sinks in terms of heat dissipation, particularly at PCM percentages of 50% or higher. Thicker fins (2mm) demonstrated superior thermal performance, maintaining lower temperatures due to enhanced heat conduction. However, at fully melt PCM condition, the hybrid heat sink efficiency declined but remained more effective than the fully PCM heat sink due to the presence of air facilitating convective heat transfer. Grid independence test was performed to check the accuracy of the simulation results, establishing that a mesh with 280,436 elements is found to yield reliable results. Recommendations for future research include optimizing PCM content, exploring advanced materials and geometric variations, conducting transient thermal analysis, and performing longer simulation periods to better reflect real-world operating conditions. This study provides valuable insights for designing advanced thermal management systems for high-performance electronic devices.