Heat transfer enhancement of a bio-based PCM/metal foam composite heat sink

Abstract

• The impacts of various PCM filling height ratios on the cooling performance of a PCM composite-based heat sink are examined experimentally. • The effects of three different pore sizes of copper foam on the heat transfer of PCM composites at varying heat loads are studied. • PCM/copper foam composite samples outperform pure PCM. • A PCM filling ratio of 1.0 results in little to no improvement in cooling performance. • The optimum cooling performance is provided by PCM/copper Foam-95PPI with a PCM filling ratio of 1.3. Effects of phase change materials (PCMs) filling height and copper foam pore densities on the cooling performance of a bio-PCM composite-based heat sink are investigated. In this respect, three filling height ratios of 1.0, 1.3, and 1.6 as well as three copper foam samples with pore densities of 35, 80, and 95 pores per inch (PPIs) are examined. Temperature profiles of the flat plate, the time required to reach specified temperatures, and the enhancement ratios at various temperatures and filling ratios are used to evaluate the thermal performance of the PCM composite-based heat sink. The investigation enables the determination of the optimal PCM filling height for maximum cooling performance of the heat sink. The results show that the optimal PCM filling height is 1.3 times the copper foam thickness and that a PCM/copper foam composite with 95 PPI pore density produces the best cooling performance with enhancement ratios of 1.54 and 1.44 under 10 and 15 W heat loads, respectively.