Novel inverted fin configurations for enhancing the thermal performance of PCM based thermal control unit: A numerical study

Abstract

• Novel fin configuration inside PCM is investigated to reduce the peak temperature. • Heat load: 11 W; Operating Time: 10, 12 min out of 100 min cycle. • Heating time, % mass, number, shape & cross-section of fins are studied numerically. • Temperature drop of 29 K is achieved through novel star inverted frustum fin. In the present study, the phase change material (PCM) based thermal control unit (TCU) has been analyzed to control the peak temperature (T pk ) of an electronic device. The pulsed heat load conditions are considered as an input to TCU. The PCM's low thermal conductivity is overcome by introducing the novel metallic fins, which are less complicated and easy to manufacture. Various parameters associated with the fin geometry are analyzed to identify fins' efficacy, namely, number of fins, % mass of fins, shape of fins, and cross-section of fins. Eight distinct fin configurations are studied viz. Prism – triangle and star; Frustum – triangle and star; Novel inverted frustum – circular, square, triangular, and star. The novel inverted fins have attained the highest area augmentation ratio with the lowest T pk of 331.41 K at 25% mass of fins than other configurations. An overall reduction in T pk is achieved around 9%, with novel inverted fins showing their significance inside PCM. The heating and cooling cycle ratio is 0.141, highest for the star inverted frustum at 25% mass of fin, suggesting that it can attain an initial temperature of 313 K way faster than other configurations.