Effect of Using Nano Encapsulated Phase Change Material on Thermal Performance of Micro Heat Sink.pdf

Effect of Using Nano Encapsulated Phase Change Material on Thermal Performance of Micro Heat Sink S. Sabbaghi* and S. Mehravar Faculty of Advanced Technologies, Dep. of Nano Chemical Eng., Shiraz University, Shiraz, I.R.Iran (*) Corresponding author: sabbaghi@shirazu.ac.ir (Received: 07 June 2014 and Accepted: 18 Jan. 2015) Abstract: The aim of this paper is to enhance thermal performance of a microchannel heat sink by using nano- encapsulated phase change material (NEPCM) slurry as a cooling fluid instead of pure fluid. A three- dimensional model of a circular channel using water slurry of NEPCM was developed. The results show a significant reduction in the mean fluid temperature along the channel and heat sink wall temperature under certain conditions for heat flux rates that depend on the NEPCM-slurry volume fraction and slurry inlet velocity. Lower temperatures across the electronic device can be attained at high heat flux compared with using water as the only cooling fluid. Keywords: Heat sink, Latent heat, NEPCM-slurry, Phase change material. 1. INTRODUCTION One of the effective approaches of advanced energy technologies to preserve available energy and improve its applications is the use of a latent heat storage system utilizing heat storage material or phase change materials (PCMs). The heat storage materials have the ability to alter the status with the small temperature range. The energy can be absorbed or released when the materials temperatures overpass the phase change temperature during melting and solidifying processes respectively [1-4]. It is necessary for the latent heat energy storage to have a PCM with high thermal conductivity because the rate of energy release and storage of the PCM can be hindered with low thermal conductivity. Progresses in nanotechnology field have resulted in developments of new methods for improving thermal conductivity of PCMs including dispersing high thermal conductive nanop