Assessment of Thermal Management Using a Phase-Change Material Heat Sink under Cyclic Thermal Loads

Fangping Ye, Yufan Dong, Michael Opolot, Luoguang Zhao () and Chunrong Zhao ()
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Fangping Ye: Key Lab of Modern Manufacture Quality Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
Yufan Dong: Key Lab of Modern Manufacture Quality Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
Michael Opolot: Centre for Hydrogen & Renewable Energy, Central Queensland University, Gladstone 3043, Australia
Luoguang Zhao: Key Lab of Modern Manufacture Quality Engineering, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan 430068, China
Chunrong Zhao: School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2006, Australia

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-19

Abstract: Phase-change materials (PCMs) are widely used in the thermal management of electronic devices by effectively lowering the hot end temperature and increasing the energy conversion efficiency. In this article, numerical studies were performed to understand how temperature instability during the periodic utilization of electronic devices affects the heat-dissipation effectiveness of a phase-change material heat sink embedded in an electronic device. Firstly, three amplitudes of 10 °C, 15 °C, and 20 °C for fixed periods of time, namely, 10 min, 20 min, and 40 min, respectively, were performed to investigate the specific effect of amplitude on the PCM melting rate. Next, the amplitude was fixed, and the impact of the period on heat sink performance was evaluated. The results indicate that under the 40 min time period, the averaged melting rate of PCMs with amplitudes of 20 °C, 15 °C, and 10 °C reaches the highest at 19 min, which saves 14 min, 10 min, and 8 min, respectively, compared with the constant input of the same melting rate. At a fixed amplitude of 20 °C, the PCM with a period of 40 min, 20 min, and 10 min has the highest averaged melting rate at 6 min, 11 min, and 19 min, saving the heat dissipation time of 3 min, 8 min, and 14 min, respectively. Overall, it was observed that under identical amplitude conditions, the peak melting rate remains consistent, with longer periods resulting in a longer promotion of melting. On the other hand, under similar conditions, larger amplitude values result in faster melting rates. This is attributed to the fact that the period increases the heat flux output by extending the temperature rise, while the amplitude affects the heat flux by adjusting the temperature.

Keywords: melting rate enhancement; phase-change material; volume fractions; periodic input; temperature fluctuations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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