Heat Transfer and Fluid Flow Analysis of Fractal Like Branched Microchannel Heat Sink

Abstract

Liquid cooling becoming area of interest of expert looking for efficient and reliable methods to dissipate heat. This interest has grown with decrease in Integrated circuit size and increase in the applications of integrated circuits. A large number of design geometries, flow arrangements, heat sink materials and fluid were investigated and are currently under investigation. Conventionally straight microchannel heat sinks are used for cooling, but we know that nature is the best designer. It inspires each and every aspect of human society to perform efficiently and sometimes give us beast possible solutions. Researchers always try to mimic nature for optimal solutions. Investigated Fractal branched microchannel heat sink is such an example. Similar fluid delivery systems such as in leaf, rivers, human blood veins, lungs exist in nature in abundance. Fractal branched microchannel heat sink is such a nature inspired model used to study thermofludic properties for given conditions. In current study fractal branched microchannel network has an inlet manifold called inlet plenum and a base channel emerges out of it. This emerged channel splits into two smaller channels having smaller length and width than the parent channel. These length and width are not arbitrary they are connected to length and width of parent channel with a ratio and#946; and and#947; respectively as exist in natural systems. This bifurcation happens four times in our design which produces 16 channels at the end of the network. This generated shape is used as channel in cooling system. This heat sink has 12 such branches coming out of inlet plenum. Fluid enters in heat sink through inlet plenum and after turning a number of times goes to outlet plenum. Inlet plenum is circular in shape and is an input variable having three radius values (2, 3,4mm). newline