Numerical investigation of the effect of flow circulation pattern and velocity on the performance of water-cooled heat sink

Abstract

The most critical problems of electronic components are the high power consumption and lesser life. This paper aims to numerically model the working process of the water-cooled heat sink to obtain the most effective design. In this context, four types of configurations with different passes (Type-A, Type-B, Type-C, Type-D) were designed at different water velocities, which were 0.25 m/s, 0.5 m/s, and 1 m/s with constant air velocity (6 m/s) to simulate fluid flow and the heat transfer. Results were evaluated as temperature and pressure contours, velocity streamlines, and the graphics of pressure difference, outlet temperature, temperature difference, heat transfer rate to air, and power consumption in relation to Reynolds number. Results showed that pressure difference, outlet temperature, power consumption, and heat transfer rate to air increased by increasing Reynolds number in all analyses. In all configurations, the water outlet temperatures were very close to each other, in the range of 63-65 °C for Re=2500, 70-72 °C for Re=5000, and 74-76 °C for Re=10000. Among all configurations, Type-A has the minimum outlet temperature with the value of 63.40 °C for Re=2500, 70.77 °C for Re=5000, and 74.85 °C for Re=10000. Also, Type-A showed better performance than other models in terms of heat transfer rate to air with the value of 1346 W for Re=2500, 1500 W for Re=5000, and 1675 W for Re=10000. The maximum pressure difference was obtained in Type-A geometry with the value of nearly 3500 Pa at a Reynolds number value of 10000. When the results were evaluated in full scope, it was concluded that Type-B was the most suitable model for use in terms of heat transfer, pump power, and inlet-outlet positions.