Heat exchange mechanism analysis and structural parameter optimization for series-combined microchannel heat sinks

Abstract

This study presents a heat exchange mechanism analysis and an optimization of structural parameters of a built-in series combined microchannel heat dissipation platform, aiming to address the problems of low heat exchange and high pumping power caused by the mismatch in the selection of the structural parameters of the microchannel heat sink (MHS). A numerical calculation model was built in Fluent, and the temperature difference, pressure difference, and their ratio between the inlet and outlet of the MHS were used as the evaluation indicators. Using an orthogonal test, the influence of multiple parameters on the heat exchange effect was investigated. It is found that the shape of the microchannel is the main factor affecting the heat exchange phenomena, and the optimal combination of parameters such as the height, width, and length of the rectangular microchannel is obtained by a genetic algorithm. Physical transformation and heat exchange experiments were carried out. It was highlighted that the comprehensive performance of the optimized cooling system has been improved to varying degrees under different inlet flow conditions. At an inlet flow rate of 2.0 m3 h−1, the pressure difference and pumping power consumption are reduced by 24.9%, and the maximum temperature difference and heat dissipation power are increased by 21.0%. An experimental study on the heat exchange effect of MHSs with different numbers of serial pieces was carried out. With a number of MHSs of 15, the heat exchange is found to be sufficient, and the maximum heat exchange estimated was 9289.52 W.