IIT-Madras & UAE researchers develop cooling solution for electronics devices

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) and UAE’s Khalifa University have developed an electro-hydrodynamics based method for effective cooling of electronic devices by making significant strides in advancing heat management for miniature electronic devices, particularly for space applications.

The latest breakthrough in mini-channel heat exchangers – the process uses the ‘Onsager-Wien Effect,’ to induce vortices in the mini-channels, which leads to better heat transfer – is published in the reputed peer-reviewed journal Applied Thermal Engineering. The research paper was co-authored by Prof S Vengadesan, Department of Applied Mechanics and Biomedical Engineering, IIT-M, his research student, R Vishnu, and Dr Ahmed Alkaabi and Dr Deepak Selvakumar from Khalifa University.

The extensive use of miniaturised electronic components, both in space missions and consumer electronics, leads to significant heat generation with high-performance computing processors generating up to 200-250 W power, resulting in heat loads of up to 1 kW, necessitating efficient heat management. 

Liquid-cooling systems, especially micro/mini-channel heat sinks, are considered best suited for dissipating heat in such systems and this research aims to disrupt the smooth flow inside the mini-channels through the use of plate electrodes.

 “The new design developed by this research team uses thin plate electrodes that introduce swirling flows inside mini-channel fluids, which result in the formation of vortices at the boundaries, which in turn facilitates better heat transfer,” Vengadesan said. 

To validate the design, the researchers employed computational methods that simulate fluid flows in three dimensions. Through these simulations, they observed how the chaotic swirling flows effectively disrupted the smooth flow at the walls of the channels, and thereby enhanced heat transfer. 

The use of a weak electric field to induce swirling flow in minichannels renders the application operationally safe and low power-consuming. The study's applications in electronic thermal management, particularly in space technology, are vast, the research said.

Additionally, the electrically driven flow vortices generated by this design eliminate the need for additional geometrical modifications. “With no moving parts, this design operates without vibration and requires no maintenance. Furthermore, its electrically operated nature ensures intelligent control and quick response,” the research added. 

The team plans to optimise the design by considering different electrode positions and orientations. Additionally, the mechanism identified in this study holds great promise for enhancing thin-film boiling and the team proposes to extend the application of the design to two-phase heat transfer systems.