Thermal and hydraulic performance of solid-porous compound wavy micro-channel heat sinks

Abstract

In this numerical study, seven distinct three-dimensional unique models of micro-channel heat sinks have been investigated. A solid-porous compound wavy channel with optimum thickness of porous fins has been newly adapted to improve the thermal and hydraulic performance of the forthcoming micro-electronic devices. The finite volume method is used to solve the hydraulic and thermal performance of micro-channel heat sinks, and Darcy–Forchheimer flow models are applied for fluid flow through porous fins. Water is employed as a working fluid. Solid wall and porous fins are made of copper material; during analysis, Reynolds numbers vary from 50 to 300, and the effective thermal conductivity has been considered for porous fins as well as solid-porous compound fins. The effect of solid fins, porous fins, and compound fins are comprehensively determined. The result shows that as the thickness of porous fins increases in compound wavy channel, the heat transfer performance significantly increases up to 63.6% and pressure drop penalty decreases up to 55.32% as compared to the regular straight channel (solid fins) heat sinks. This is due to reduction of viscous shear stress at the place of fluid-porous interface and slip effect of fluids in the porous zone. Hence, the ability of the solid-porous compound wavy micro-channel heat sinks can effectively enhance the cooling performance of high-power electronic devices.