Vortex Laden Flows in a Micro-Gap for Enhanced Direct Chip Cooling

Author(s):  
Amir Gorodetsky ◽  
Herman D. Haustein

Heat dissipation in modern high-power electronics require high performance cooling, which traditional air-based systems cannot provide. Rather, novel systems using liquids, which have inherently better heat transfer characteristics, must be used. Therefore, these have recently been extensively examined. The present study aims to identify the liquid flow patterns which significantly increase heat transfer, examine them through simulation (transient 2D laminar DNS) and experimentally realize the most promising configuration. Any such flow patterns should target a major inhibitor of heat transfer, namely, the development of the thermal boundary layer. From the literature, it was seen that traveling vortices should meet this demand, due to generation of perpendicular unsteady or periodic flows, and consequently significant disruption of the boundary layer. Traditionally, micro-channels have been widely employed for micro-electronics cooling. However, the generation and persistence of the desired vortices over longer distances, as well as a desired lower pressure drop can be obtained in micro-gaps, which have inherently overall lower wall-fluid friction. The desired vortices can be further enhanced by active methods such as inlet flow pulsation. In the present study, based on numerical simulations (grid-independent and validated against an analytical solution) a suitable micro-gap geometrical configuration was chosen, while the flow rate (Re) and excitation frequency (Strouhal number around the well-known resonance, St = 0.3) with low amplitude, were examined over a wide range. Further examination led to the choice of two methods for vortex generation. The first is a use of bluff bodies as flow obstructers in the micro-gap, whereby vortex shedding (von Karman street) occurs already at low Reynolds numbers (Re>50). A preliminary experimental device was constructed with side and top view capabilities, for flow visualization, as well as the possibility of wall temperature measurement by IR thermography. Preliminary simulations and experiments showed that Vortex shedding onset was only mildly affected in the micro-scale (200 micron obstruction in 600 micron channel), while heat transfer was seen to increase three-fold over obstruction-free gap, with only mild pressure drop increase. The second method has additional advantage of imposed perpendicular flow. The model consists of a row of slot-jets in a micro-gap with cross-flow. Recent experimental and numerical studies employing a similar hybrid cooling scheme, showed significant heat flux dissipation (305 W/cm2). Here too, significant increase of the heat transfer was found, with additional increase associated with flow pulsation. In future experimental work, the intention is to include MEMS based actuators for individual control of the jets’ excitation ability and effective slot width.

Author(s):  
Weilin Qu ◽  
Seok-Mann Yoon ◽  
Issam Mudawar

Knowledge of flow pattern and flow pattern transitions is essential to the development of reliable predictive tools for pressure drop and heat transfer in two-phase micro-channel heat sinks. In the present study, experiments were conducted with adiabatic nitrogen-water two-phase flow in a rectangular micro-channel having a 0.406 × 2.032 mm cross-section. Superficial velocities of nitrogen and water ranged from 0.08 to 81.92 m/s and 0.04 to 10.24 m/s, respectively. Flow patterns were first identified using high-speed video imaging, and still photos were then taken for representative patterns. Results reveal that the dominant flow patterns are slug and annular, with bubbly flow occurring only occasionally; stratified and churn flow were never observed. A flow pattern map was constructed and compared with previous maps and predictions of flow pattern transition models. Annual flow is identified as the dominant flow pattern for conditions relevant to two-phase micro-channel heat sinks, and forms the basis for development of a theoretical model for both pressure drop and heat transfer in micro-channels. Features unique to two-phase micro-channel flow, such as laminar liquid and gas flows, smooth liquid-gas interface, and strong entrainment and deposition effects are incorporated into the model. The model shows good agreement with experimental data for water-cooled heat sinks.


Author(s):  
Weilin Qu ◽  
Issam Mudawar

The design and reliable operation of a two-phase micro-channel heat sink require a fundamental understanding of the complex transport phenomena associated with convective boiling in small, parallel coolant passages. This understanding is the primary goal of this paper. This goal is realized by exploring the following aspects of boiling in micro-channels: hydrodynamic instability, two-phase flow patterns, pressure drop, and convective boiling heat transfer. High-speed photographic methods were used to determine dominant flow patterns and explore as well as characterize hydrodynamic instabilities. Two types of dynamic instability were identified, a severe pressure drop oscillation and a mild parallel channel instability, and a simple method is recommended to completely suppress the former. Predictions of three popular two-phase pressure drop models and correlations were compared to micro-channel water data, and only a separated flow (Lockhart-Martinelli) correlation based on the assumption of laminar flow in both phases gave acceptable predictions. Several popular heat transfer correlations were also examined and deemed unsuitable for micro-channel heat sinks because all these correlations are based on turbulent flow assumptions, and do not capture the unique features of micro-channel flow such as abrupt transition to slug flow, hydrodynamic instability, and high droplet entrainment in the annular regime. These findings point to the need for further study of boiling behavior and new predictive tools specifically tailored to micro-channel heat sinks.


Author(s):  
Hee Joon Lee ◽  
Dongyao Liu ◽  
Shi-Chune Yao ◽  
Y. Alyousef

Existing data base and correlations in literature on the micro-channel pressure drop and heat transfer are reviewed. None of the existing correlations can cover the wide range of working fluids, operational conditions and different microchannel dimensions. The importance of the Bond number, which relates the nominal bubble dimension or capillary parameter with the channel size, is revealed. Using the Bond number, improved correlations of pressure drop and heat transfer are established. The new correlations predict the existing data well over wide ranges of working fluids, operational conditions and dimensions of micro-channels. Furthermore, Bond number could be used as a criterion to classify a flow path as a micro-channel or conventional macro-channel.


2004 ◽  
Vol 126 (2) ◽  
pp. 213-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weilin Qu ◽  
Issam Mudawar

The design and reliable operation of a two-phase micro-channel heat sink require a fundamental understanding of the complex transport phenomena associated with convective boiling in small, parallel coolant passages. This understanding is the primary goal of this paper. This goal is realized by exploring the following aspects of boiling in micro-channels: hydrodynamic instability, two-phase flow patterns, pressure drop, and convective boiling heat transfer. High-speed photographic methods were used to determine dominant flow patterns and explore as well as characterize hydrodynamic instabilities. Two types of dynamic instability were identified, a severe pressure drop oscillation and a mild parallel channel instability, and a simple method is recommended to completely suppress the former. Predictions of three popular two-phase pressure drop models and correlations were compared to micro-channel water data, and only a separated flow (Lockhart-Martinelli) correlation based on the assumption of laminar flow in both phases gave acceptable predictions. Several popular heat transfer correlations were also examined and deemed unsuitable for micro-channel heat sinks because all these correlations are based on turbulent flow assumptions, and do not capture the unique features of micro-channel flow such as abrupt transition to slug flow, hydrodynamic instability, and high droplet entrainment in the annular regime. These findings point to the need for further study of boiling behavior and new predictive tools specifically tailored to micro-channel heat sinks.


1972 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Brundrett ◽  
W. B. Nicoll ◽  
A. B. Strong

The van Driest damped mixing length has been extended to account for the effects of mass transfer through a porous plate into a turbulent, two-dimensional incompressible boundary layer. The present mixing length is continuous from the wall through to the inner-law region of the flow, and although empirical, has been shown to predict wall shear stress and heat transfer data for a wide range of blowing rates.


Author(s):  
Piotr Łuczyński ◽  
Dennis Toebben ◽  
Manfred Wirsum ◽  
Wolfgang F. D. Mohr ◽  
Klaus Helbig

In recent decades, the rising share of commonly subsidized renewable energy especially affects the operational strategy of conventional power plants. In pursuit of flexibility improvements, extension of life cycle, in addition to a reduction in start-up time, General Electric has developed a product to warm-keep high/intermediate pressure steam turbines using hot air. In order to optimize the warm-keeping operation and to gain knowledge about the dominant heat transfer phenomena and flow structures, detailed numerical investigations are required. Considering specific warm-keeping operating conditions characterized by high turbulent flows, it is required to conduct calculations based on time-consuming unsteady conjugate heat transfer (CHT) simulations. In order to investigate the warm-keeping process as found in the presented research, single and multistage numerical turbine models were developed. Furthermore, an innovative calculation approach called the Equalized Timescales Method (ET) was applied for the modeling of unsteady conjugate heat transfer (CHT). The unsteady approach improves the accuracy of the stationary simulations and enables the determination of the multistage turbine models. In the course of the research, two particular input variables of the ET approach — speed up factor (SF) and time step (TS) — have been additionally investigated with regard to their high impact on the calculation time and the quality of the results. Using the ET method, the mass flow rate and the rotational speed were varied to generate a database of warm-keeping operating points. The main goal of this work is to provide a comprehensive knowledge of the flow field and heat transfer in a wide range of turbine warm-keeping operations and to characterize the flow patterns observed at these operating points. For varying values of flow coefficient and angle of incidence, the secondary flow phenomena change from well-known vortex systems occurring in design operation (such as passage, horseshoe and corner vortices) to effects typical for windage, like patterns of alternating vortices and strong backflows. Furthermore, the identified flow patterns have been compared to vortex systems described in cited literature and summarized in the so-called blade vortex diagram. The comparison of heat transfer in the form of charts showing the variation of the Nusselt-numbers with respect to changes in angle of incidence and flow coefficients at specific operating points is additionally provided.


Author(s):  
Jianyun Shuai ◽  
Rudi Kulenovic ◽  
Manfred Groll

Flow boiling in small-sized channels attracted extensive investigations in the past two decades due to special requirements for transfer of high heat fluxes from narrow spaces in various industrial applications. Experiments on various aspects of flow boiling in narrow channels were carried out and theoretical attempts were undertaken. But these investigations showed large differences, e.g. up till now the knowledge on the development of flow patterns in small non-circular flow passages is very limited. This paper deals with investigations on flow boiling of water in two rectangular channels with dimensions (width×depth) 2.0×4.0 mm2 and 0.5×2.0 mm2 (corresponding hydraulic diameters are 2.67 mm and 0.8 mm). The pressure at the test section exit is atmospheric. For steady-state experimental conditions the effects of heat flux, mass flux and inlet subcooling on the boiling heat transfer coefficient and the pressure drop are investigated. Flow patterns and the transition of flow patterns along the channel axis are visualized and documented with a video-camera. Bubbly flow, slug flow and annular flow are distinguished in both channels. Preliminary flow pattern maps are generated.


Author(s):  
Junxiang Shi ◽  
Steven R. Schafer ◽  
Chung-Lung (C. L. ) Chen

A passive, self-agitating method which takes advantage of vortex-induced vibration (VIV) is presented to disrupt the thermal boundary layer and thereby enhance the convective heat transfer performance of a channel. A flexible cylinder is placed at centerline of a channel. The vortex shedding due to the presence of the cylinder generates a periodic lift force and the consequent vibration of the cylinder. The fluid-structure-interaction (FSI) due to the vibration strengthens the disruption of the thermal boundary layer by reinforcing vortex interaction with the walls, and improves the mixing process. This novel concept is demonstrated by a three-dimensional modeling study in different channels. The fluid dynamics and thermal performance are discussed in terms of the vortex dynamics, disruption of the thermal boundary layer, local and average Nusselt numbers (Nu), and pressure loss. At different conditions (Reynolds numbers, channel geometries, material properties), the channel with the VIV is seen to significantly increase the convective heat transfer coefficient. When the Reynolds number is 168, the channel with the VIV improves the average Nu by 234.8% and 51.4% in comparison with a clean channel and a channel with a stationary cylinder, respectively. The cylinder with the natural frequency close to the vortex shedding frequency is proved to have the maximum heat transfer enhancement. When the natural frequency is different from the vortex shedding frequency, the lower natural frequency shows a higher heat transfer rate and lower pressure loss than the larger one.


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