Heat Transfer Estimation from Isothermal Fluid Flow

Abstract:
Modern electronic consumer, automotive, and industrial applications have witnessed an increase in both total power ratings and power loss densities. To maintain operational temperatures within an acceptable range, it is imperative that cooling solutions evolve in response to this growing demand. Modeling and simulating new cooling solutions can significantly reduce the cost and time associated with prototype manufacturing, though it presents a complex numerical challenge. This study introduces a novel method capable of accurately determining the cooling performance of a given structure, based solely on fluid flow analysis. This innovation reduces modeling complexity and subsequently enhances design efficiency. We examine 40 arbitrary cold plate designs and compute their respective figures of merit (σ). This estimation is then compared against results from corresponding thermo-fluidic simulations.