Single-Phase Flow and Heat Transport in Microchannel Heat Sinks

Microchannel heat sinks are widely regarded as being amongst the most effective heat removal techniques from space-constrained electronic devices. However, the fluid flow and heat transfer in microchannels is not fully understood. The pumping requirements for flow through microchannels are also very high and none of the micropumps in the literature are truly suitable for this application. A wide-ranging research program on microchannel heat sinks and micropumps is underway in the Electronics Cooling Laboratory at Purdue University. This article provides an overview of the research being conducted to understand fluid flow and heat transfer in microchannels and to identify pumping requirements and suitable mechanisms for pumping in microchannels.