Computational Fluid Dynamics Study of Forced Convection Cooling for Electronic Chips
Keywords:
Micro Channel Heat Sinks, Forced Convention Cooling, Silicon-Based Cooling, CFD, Heat Transfer, Electronic Chip CoolingAbstract
Over the past decade, significant research has been dedicated to comprehending the fluid dynamics and heat transfer behaviours within silicon-based microchannel heat sinks, especially in the realm of electronic cooling applications. These microchannel heat sinks, characterised by their non-circular channels and silicon composition, offer an enticing blend of material compatibility, high surface area-to-volume ratios, and efficient heat transfer potential, all attainable through cost-effective fabrication processes. This renders them highly attractive for a diverse range of commercial applications. This study uses the FLUENT commercial CFD software to concentrate on cooling electronic chips, utilising forced water convection within single microchannel heat sinks made of silicon. The computational domain is discretised utilising non-uniform grids on the flow face and uniform grids along the flow direction, with grid generation facilitated by Gambit software and the Cooper method. Pressure, velocity, and temperature distributions at the inlet and outlet are scrutinised, along with variations along the flow direction. The results are validated against existing data for silicon substrates.
Furthermore, Nusselt number variations and convection heat transfer coefficients are examined for different flow rates. The simulation uses the Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure-linked Equations (SIMPLE) with a second-order upwind scheme for fully-developed laminar Flow, solving continuity, momentum, and energy equations separately. Post-processing of results is carried out using Excel. The study considers multiple pressure drops to optimise power consumption, aiming to minimise temperature rise in the sink, which is crucial for preventing water temperature from reaching the boiling point. Overall, the simulation results align well with available data, presenting detailed profiles of velocity, temperature, and pressure differences along the channel.
