Enhancing Smartphone Circuit Cooling: A Computational Study of PCM Integration

Abstract

Modern smartphones are used for a wide range of demanding tasks, such as gaming, high-resolution photography, and internet browsing, which significantly increases their power consumption. This excessive power use leads to higher heat generation within the device, typically between 2 and 6 watts. To manage this heat and maintain optimal performance, smartphones employ various cooling techniques. A new mobile cooling method could use innovative approaches like advanced phase change materials, liquid cooling systems, or emerging technologies such as thermoelectric and microfluidic cooling. This paper proposes a new cooling method using phase change materials. This approach leverages the material's ability to absorb heat by transitioning from a solid to a liquid state and vicecersa. This helps keep the device's temperature below 45 degrees Celsius. In mid-range smartphones, cooling methods such as natural convection, indirect heat-pipe cooling, and forced convection are commonly used, but these methods often fail under high-power usage conditions.