An Investigation Into the Penetration of Phase Change Material in Carbon Foam for Transient Thermal Management

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Omar Sanusi ◽  
Randy D. Weinstein ◽  
Amy S. Fleischer
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Thermal Management ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
High Capacity ◽  
Carbon Foam ◽  
Storage Device ◽  
Foam Structure ◽  
Transient Thermal ◽  
Change Material ◽  
Initial Research

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are used for thermal management and are ideal for cyclic operations due to their high capacity to store heat. Most PCMs do not exhibit sufficient conductivity to be effective at larger sizes. Enhancing conductivity can be done in a number of ways including carbon foam. It is not widely known how well PCMs penetrate inside the carbon foam structure. Initial research suggests that the carbon foam-PCM matrix acts more as a conductor than a thermal storage device. Through the use microscopy, we will examine how the well the PCM penetrates into the carbon foam. We will also use experimental data comparing carbon foam enhanced modules to pure PCM modules. A volume displacement test will also be used to determine the quantity of PCM that enters into the carbon foam structure. This knowledge will allow better design of enhanced PCM modules and will determine if carbon foam is indeed a viable conduction enhancer for PCM thermal management.

Feasibility Assessment of the Integration of Microfluidics and NEPCM for Cooling Microelectronics Systems

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julaunica Tigner ◽  
Tamara Floyd-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Thermal Management ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Microfluidic Channels ◽  
Pumping Power ◽  
Feasibility Assessment ◽  
Cooling Method ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Microchannel Cooling ◽  
Change Material

The growing demand for microelectronic systems to be smaller and faster has increased the energy released by these devices in the form of heat. Microelectronic systems such as laptop computers and hand held devices are not exempted from these demands. The primary traditional technologies currently used to remove heat generated in these devices are fins and fans. In this study, traditional methods were compared to more novel methods like cooling using forced convection in microfluidic channels and stagnant nanoparticle enhanced phase change materials (NEPCM). For this study, the difference between the surface temperature of a simulated microelectronic system without any cooling and with a particular cooling method was compared for several cooling scenarios. Higher ΔT values indicate more effective cooling. The average ΔT values for fans, fins, NEPCM and microchannels with water were 2°C, 5°C, 3°C and 4°C respectively. These results suggest that, separately, microchannel cooling and NEPCM are promising methods for managing heat in microelectronic systems. Even more interesting than NEPCM or microchannel cooling alone is the potential cooling that can be achieved by combining the two methods to achieve multimode cooling first by the phase change of the NEPCM and then by circulating the nanofluid (melted NEPCM) through microchannels. A feasibility assessment, however, reveals that the combination of the two methods is not equal to the sum of the parts due to the viscosity and associated pumping power requirements for the melted phase change material. Nonetheless, the combination of the method still holds promise as a competitive alternative to existing thermal management solutions.

Low-cost carbon foam as a practical support for organic phase change materials in thermal management

2020 ◽  
Vol 258 ◽  
pp. 114108 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahdi Maleki ◽  
Abolhassan Imani ◽  
Rouhollah Ahmadi ◽  
Hosein Banna Motejadded Emrooz ◽  
Ali Beitollahi
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Thermal Management ◽  
Organic Phase ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Carbon Foam ◽  
Practical Support

Studies on Optimum Distribution of Fins in Heat Sinks Filled With Phase Change Materials

2008 ◽  
Vol 130 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
S. K. Saha ◽  
K. Srinivasan ◽  
P. Dutta
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Thermal Management ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Volume Fraction ◽  
Heat Sinks ◽  
Electronic Systems ◽  
Optimum Distribution ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Change Material ◽  
Small Cross Sectional Area

This paper deals with phase change material (PCM), used in conjunction with thermal conductivity enhancer (TCE), as a means of thermal management of electronic systems. Eicosane is used as PCM, while aluminium pin or plate fins are used as TCE. The test section considered in all cases is a 42×42mm2 base with a TCE height of 25mm. An electrical heater at the heat sink base is used to simulate the heat generation in electronic chips. Various volumetric fractions of TCE in the conglomerate of PCM and TCE are considered. The case with 8% TCE volume fraction was found to have the best thermal performance. With this volume fraction of TCE, the effects of fin dimension and fin shape are also investigated. It is found that a large number of small cross-sectional area fins is preferable. A numerical model is also developed to enable an interpretation of experimental results.

Experimental Investigation of Composite Phase Change Material Heat Sinks for Enhanced Passive Thermal Management

2020 ◽  
Vol 143 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Collier S. Miers ◽  
Amy Marconnet
Keyword(s):  
Phase Change ◽  
Thermal Management ◽  
Phase Change Materials ◽  
Heat Fluxes ◽  
Heat Sinks ◽  
Electronic Systems ◽  
Test Platform ◽  
Regeneration Cycle ◽  
Change Material

Abstract Phase change materials (PCMs) are effective at storing thermal energy and are attractive for use in electronics to smooth temperature peaks during periods of high demand; however, the use of PCMs has been somewhat limited due to the poor thermal properties of the materials. Here, we propose a design for a tunable composite PCM heat sink for passive thermal management in electronic systems and develop an improved test platform to directly compare performance between different designs and PCMs. The composite design leverages high conductivity pathways, which are machined into aluminum heat sinks, and back-filled with PCMs. Two package sizes are considered with several internal fin structures. All designs are evaluated using a test platform with realistic power profiles, controlled interfacial loading, and in situ temperature measurement. The composite PCM heat sinks are benchmarked against solid aluminum packages of the same size. This study focuses on three commercially available PCMs. Performance is evaluated based on (1) the time it takes the test heater chip below each composite PCM package to reach the cut-off temperature of 95 °C and (2) the period of a full melt-regeneration cycle. A range of heat fluxes are considered in this study spanning 6.8–14.5 W cm−2. The isokite design with PlusICE S70 extends the time to reach 95 °C by 36.2% when compared to the solid package, while weighing 17.3% less, making it advantageous for mobile devices.

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