High performance air cooling scheme using ducted microchannel parallel plate-fin heat sinks

In this work a high performance air cooling scheme based on microchannel parallel plate-fin heat sinks, in which the coolant is ducted to and optionally from the heat sink through tubes, is theoretically and experimentally investigated. The performance in terms of thermal resistance, pressure drop, and pumping power is modeled as a function of heat sink dimensions, tube dimensions, and air flow rate. Optimizations are performed and design trade-offs discussed. A specimen heat sink with lateral dimensions of 5 cm×5 cm, with 150 μm thick fins, and with 300 μm wide channels was fabricated using copper foils and a simple assembly process. The performance of the heat sink was evaluated experimentally. A thermal resistance of approximately 0.2 K/W is achieved at a pressure drop of 12.5 mbar and an air flow rate of 5 l/s. The agreement between predicted and experimental results is found to be comparatively good. Results of the present study are compared to results of other investigations concerning direct air cooling. The achievable thermal performances using the investigated cooling approach are superior to those attainable using conventional air cooling schemes as well as to those employing silicon microcoolers