Experimental investigation on the heat transfer performance of a microchannel thermosiphon array for 5G telecommunication base stations

Abstract

In response to the increasing demand for enhanced heat dissipation in 5G telecommunication base stations, an innovative heatsink solution that employs air cooling was designed in this paper, namely, the microchannel thermosiphon array. The temperature characteristics, startup behavior, and temperature uniformity were experimentally investigated under various filling ratios, heating power levels and wind speeds. The results indicate that the optimal filling ratio for the microchannel thermosiphon array is 20 %. With a liquid filling ratio of 20 % and a heating power of 80 W, the total thermal resistance of the thermosiphon is 0.28 ℃/W. An increase in input power can expedite the initiation process, aiding its transition into a stable phase of heat transfer and fluid flow, characterized by evaporative rise and condensate return. Under natural convection, the microchannel thermosiphon array has a power limit of 40 W. With a wind speed of 6 m/s, the power limit increases to 140 W, resulting in a total thermal resistance of less than 0.4℃/W and a temperature lower than 74.3 °C. The research results provide guidance for optimizing the design of 5G heat dissipation devices.