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A novel phase change material-based heat sink with an orthotropic plate to enhance the temperature field uniformity for avionics

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Abstract

In this study, an orthotropic plate arranged at the bottom of the phase change material (PCM) -based heat sink is employed to enhance the temperature field uniformity (TFU) in the heat sink. The performance of the orthotropic plate in enhancing the TFU is numerically studied during the melting process of the PCM. The effects of the orthotropic conductivity (R) are examined at R = 10 Rb, 5 Rb, 0.2 Rb and 0.1 Rb. The configuration including a copper plate is also taken into consideration as a contrast to achieve a more objective and deeper insight. It is found that the orthotropic plate can significantly enhance the TFU by up to 4 times in the PCM regions; it can also narrow down the temperature range in the heat sink region. When the orthotropic conductivity is greater than Rb, it can even benefit in improving the performance of thermal management of the heat sink. Principles about the orthotropic conductivity are drawn and comprehensive evaluations are conducted to guide in designing PCM-based heat sink for thermal management of avionics.

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Abbreviations

CPHS :

Heat sink with copper plate

FPHP :

Flat plate heat pipe

MFD :

Melting fraction difference

MT :

Maximum temperature

NPHS :

Heat sink with no plate

OPHS :

Heat sink with orthotropic plate

PCM :

Phase change material

TAΔT :

Time average difference regarding the maximum temperature

TATFD :

Time average difference in temperature field

TATRHS :

Time average temperature range in heat sink region

TFD :

Temperature field difference

TFU :

Temperature field uniformity

TRHS :

Temperature range in heat sink region

a :

Thickness of the metal base

A :

Porous coefficient

b :

Width of the PCM department

c :

Width of the middle fins

C :

Specific heat

d :

Width of the side fins

e :

Thickness of the plate

f :

Function symbol

F :

Melting fraction

g :

Acceleration of gravity or function symbol

h :

Enthalpy

H :

Height of the metal block

K :

Thermal conductivity

l :

Length of heat source in model 2–4

L :

Length of heat source in model 1

p :

Pressure

R :

Orthotropic conductivity

Rb :

Benchmark orthotropic conductivity

S :

Source term

T :

Temperature

t :

Time

u :

Velocity in x direction

v :

Velocity in y direction

x :

Coordinate system

y :

Coordinate system

β :

Thermal expansion coefficient

μ :

Dynamic viscosity

ρ :

Density

φ :

The area of zone

m :

Melting point

i :

Initial

ref :

Reference

Z :

Zone

O :

Orthotropic plate

P :

Phase change material

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by Generic Technology Project of Equipment Pre-research of China (No. JZX6Y201901010029).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. AVIC Xi’an Aeronautics Computing Technique Research Institute, Xi’an, Shaanxi, 710068, China

    Bo Wu, Peng Li, Fenghua Zhang & Feng Tian

Authors
  1. Bo Wu
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  2. Peng Li
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  3. Fenghua Zhang
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  4. Feng Tian
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bo Wu.

Additional information

Bo Wu is an Engineer of AVIC Xi’an Aeronautical Computing Technique Research Institute, Xi’an, China. He received his M.D. in Engineering Thermal Physics from Xi'an Jiaotong University. His research interests include thermal management of avionics, heat storage using PCM and air cooling enhancement.

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Wu, B., Li, P., Zhang, F. et al. A novel phase change material-based heat sink with an orthotropic plate to enhance the temperature field uniformity for avionics. J Mech Sci Technol 35, 2237–2246 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-021-0440-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-021-0440-4

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