Numerical Simulation of Heat Transfer in a Microchannel Heat Sink With Micro Encapsulated Phase Change Material (MEPCM) Slurry

A numerical model to investigate heat transfer characteristics of the MEPCM slurry flow inside a typical microchannel is presented in the paper. The temperature field inside the channel wall is solved three dimensionally and is coupled with the three dimensional velocity and temperature fields of the fluid. The effective specific heat method is used to model the heat sink (MEPCM) in the single phase fluid. The slurry is assumed to be homogeneous with temperature-independent properties. The effects of various parameters such as concentration of MEPCM particles and their size on the heat transfer characteristics of slurry flow are discussed. The results of the numerical model are validated with single phase fluid flow analysis and slurry flows in microchannels separately since no experiment has been performed till date on microsized channels (less than 500 microns in size) employing MEPCM slurry. The analysis would help in designing and optimizing future designs of MEPCM slurry flows in MMC heat sinks.