Numerical simulation of high power LED heat-dissipating system

Abstract

In this paper, thermal analysis of the heat dissipation under different heat sink for high-power white Light Emitting Diode (LED) is presented. Junction temperature of LED is elevated as the power of LED increases, which brings up deterioration of light efficiency and other side effects. Heat dissipation is another design concern other than material and illumination efficiency. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the cooling of high-power LED chips and modules for design of heat sinks. Three types of heat sinks are designed for a tandem 12-chip module and an extensive numerical investigation of the heat sink design performance is conducted by Computational Fluid Dynamics software Fluent. The effects of heat sink geometry and adhesive material are also investigated. Design variables are the thickness of sink base, number, thickness and length of fins. The total wetted area is the dominant factor to the junction temperature. The objective of design regarding the junction temperatures around 50°C is easily achieved. However, its effect is limited at high values of these parameters, furthermore an excessive number of fins incurs reverse consequence due to problem of ventilation also waste of material.