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
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
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 103129 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Thermal Science and Engineering Progress |
| Volume | 57 |
| Early online date | 15 Dec 2024 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 15 Dec 2024 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ ).Data Access Statement
There is no associated data with this article. The authors do not have permission to share data.Keywords
- Heat and Fluid Flow
- Micro-porous heat sink
- Thermohydraulic Performance