An Investigation of Scale Variation in Multi-Layer Mini- and Micro-Channel Heat Sinks in Single Phase Flow Using a Two Equation Porous Media Model Available to Purchase

Research in liquid cooled mini- and micro-channel heat sinks is growing due to the potentially high heat fluxes that can be dissipated with such devices. Ostensibly, mini- or microchannel heat sinks are derivatives of more generalized porous structures. They are porous, but the pores are continuous and deterministic in structure, with well defined geometries created by etching or cutting channels into solid base material. As such, deterministic small scale heat sinks of this type lend themselves to modeling using the well-developed theories for saturated porous media. Based on the principle that physical problems contain multiple scales with multiple objectives, it is of interest to examine the possibility that allowing scale change away from the heated surface in a multi-layered heat sink would yield greater global benefits. Modeled as a saturated porous medium, scale variation in stacked multi-layer microchannel heat sinks has been explored using an experimentally verified two equation porous model. This paper compares and rates scaling parameters based on the pressure drop across the heat sink along with the unit thermal resistance.