Pressure Drop of Microchannel Plate Fin Heat Sinks

Citation

Duan, Z.; Ma, H.; He, B.; Su, L.; Zhang, X. Pressure Drop of Microchannel Plate Fin Heat Sinks. Micromachines 2019, 10, 80. 

Keywords

• pressure drop
• microchannels
• heat sinks
• slip flow
• electronic cooling

Brief

This article examines the pressure drop characteristics of fluid flow through microchannel plate fin heat sinks. 

Summary

This article, published in 2019 in the journal Micromachines by Zhipeng Duan, Hao Ma, Boshu He, Liangbin Su, and Xin Zhang, focuses on developing a simple and accurate model for predicting the pressure drop in microchannel plate fin heat sinks for both slip flow and continuum flow conditions. The authors highlight the significance of the entrance region in microchannels, particularly in microchannel heat sinks used for electronic cooling.

Key points:

• The model incorporates the effects of the developing flow region, which are often ignored in traditional approaches that assume fully developed flow.
• The model accounts for slip flow conditions, which are relevant in microfluidic applications where the fluid mean free path becomes comparable to the channel dimensions.
• The accuracy of the developed model is validated using numerical simulations and experimental data from the literature. The authors report an accuracy within 5% for practical configurations.
• The model is presented as a simple, compact equation that can be readily used by engineers for the design and optimization of microchannel plate fin heat sinks.

The article emphasizes the importance of considering the developing flow region and slip flow effects in accurately predicting pressure drop in microchannel heat sinks. It provides a practical tool for engineers working on the design and optimization of these devices for improved thermal management.

Origin: https://www.semanticscholar.org/reader/0e8e2417d99658f7ed293aa560a6f7bc47f8e297