FYP Report Finalized

THERMAL MANAGEMENT OF MICROELECTRONICS
DEVICES USING NANOFLUID WITH METAL FOAM HEAT

SINK
By
Shahzaib Anwar
Muhammad Teham Tahir
Supervisor
Dr. Naseem Ahmad
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad
2022
Thermal Management of Microelectronics devices using Nanofluid with Metal
Foam Heat sink
A thesis submitted to the
Institute of Space Technology
in partial fulfilment of the requirements
for the degree of Bachelor of Science in
Mechanical Engineering
By
Shahzaib Anwar
Supervisor
Dr. Naseem Ahmad
2022
i
Thermal Management of Microelectronics devices using Nanofluids

with Metal Foam Heat sink
By
Shahzaib Anwar
APPROVED BY BOARD OF EXAMINERS
_______________________
Dr. Naseem Ahmad
ii
CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the research Work described in this thesis is the original work of
author(s) and has been carried out under my direct supervision. I have personally gone through all
the data/results/materials reported in the manuscript and certify their correctness/authenticity. I
further certify that the material included in this thesis is not plagiarized and has not been used in
part or full in a manuscript already submitted or in the process of submission in partial/complete
fulfilment of the award of any other degree from any institution. I also certify that the thesis has
been prepared under my supervision according to the prescribed format and I endorse its evaluation
for the award of Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering degree through the official
procedures of the Institute.
____________________
(Dr. Naseem Ahmad)
iii
AUTHORS’ DECLARATION
We take full responsibility of the research work conducted during the FYP Thesis titled “Thermal
Management of Microelectronics devices using Nanofluid with Metal Foam Heat sink”. It is
declared that the research and development work presented in the FYP Thesis is done solely by us
with no significant help from any other person; however small help wherever taken is duly
acknowledge. We have also written the complete thesis by ourselves. Moreover, we have not
presented this thesis or any part of the thesis previously to any other degree awarding institution
within Pakistan or abroad.
We understand that the management of IST has a zero-tolerance policy towards plagiarism.
Therefore, we as the authors of the above-mentioned thesis solemnly declare that no portion of our
thesis has been plagiarized and any material used in the thesis from other sources is properly
referenced. Moreover, the thesis does not contain any literal citing of more than 70 words even by
giving a reference unless I have obtained the written permission of the publisher to do so.
Furthermore, the work presented in this thesis is our original work and we have positively cited
the related work of the other researchers by clearly differentiating our work from their relative
work.
We further understand that if we are found guilty of any form of plagiarism in our thesis even after
our graduation, the Institute reserves the right to revoke our BS degree. Moreover, the Institute
will also have the right to publish our name on its website that keeps a record of the students who
plagiarized in their thesis work.
iv
___________________
Shahzaib Anwar
BE-ME-07 180501008
__________________
BE-ME-07 180501016
I, hereby, acknowledge that submitted thesis is the final version and should be scrutinized for
plagiarism as per IST policy.
______________________
Supervisor
Dr. Naseem Ahmad
Dated: ___________
_________________
Verified By Plagiarism Cell Officer
Dated: __________
v
Copyright © 2021
This document is jointly copyrighted by the author(s) and the Institute of Space Technology (IST).
Both author(s) and IST can use, publish, or reproduce this document in any form. Under the
copyright law no part of this document can be reproduced by anyone, except copyright holders,
without the permission of author(s).
vi
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge the guidance of their project supervisor, Dr. Naseem
Ahmad; Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Asir Israr; the Faculty of
Department of Mechanical Engineering; and their parents for their continual support and
confidence in them.
vii
ABSTRACT
Microelectronic devices are used in a variety of applications ranging from processing units of
computers and laptops to smart appliances. Microelectronic devices fail at temperatures exceeding
373 K and temperatures above 343 K are considered dangerous. To counter heat dissipation in
microelectronics, cooling systems are needed. This can be achieved using a combination of metal
foam, heat sinks, and nanofluids. A numerical approach has been taken to calculate the best result
while varying the dimensions and material of the heat sink, the material, porosity, and pore density
of the metal foam, and the velocity, concentration, and nanoparticle material for the nanofluid.
Models for each of the parts were designed on SOLIDWORKS software. The numerical
simulations were carried out on ANSYS FLUENT. Through these simulations the best fin height,
fin and base thickness, fin spacing, fin and metal foam material, porosity and pore density for the
metal foam, and velocity, concentration, and nanoparticle material for the nanofluid were
investigated. The chosen model was able to reduce the temperature to 314 K with a pressure drop
of 130 Pa. The cooling system designed will be capable of dissipating the required amount of heat
effectively and efficiently.
viii
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................. 1
1.1 Motivation ............................................................................................................................ 1
1.2 Overview .............................................................................................................................. 2
1.3 Research Objectives ............................................................................................................ 2
2 LITERATURE REVIEW.......................................................................................................... 3
2.1 Background.......................................................................................................................... 3
2.1.1 Microelectronic Devices ............................................................................................... 3
2.1.2 Thermal Management ................................................................................................. 3
2.1.3 Heat sink ....................................................................................................................... 4
2.1.4 Metal foam .................................................................................................................... 4
2.1.5 Nanofluid....................................................................................................................... 5
2.2 Previous work on Heat sink ............................................................................................... 6
2.3 Previous work on Metal Foam ........................................................................................... 7
2.4 Previous work on Nanofluids ........................................................................................... 11
2.5 Importance of Thermal Management ............................................................................. 15
2.6 Research Gap..................................................................................................................... 15
3 METHODOLOGY................................................................................................................... 16
3.1 CAD Model of Heat sink .................................................................................................. 17
ix
3.1.1 For different fin heights and base thickness ............................................................ 17
3.1.2 For different fin spacing and fin thickness .............................................................. 19
3.2 Numerical study of Heat sink ........................................................................................... 21
3.3 CAD Model for the Metal Foam ...................................................................................... 21
3.4 Numerical study of combination of Heat sink and Metal Foam ................................... 26
3.5 Analytical Calculations for Nanofluid............................................................................. 26
3.6 Numerical study of combination of Heat sink, Metal foam, and Nanofluid ................ 26
3.7 Experimental Validation and Compilation of Results ................................................... 27
4 ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................... 28
4.1 Introduction to Software .................................................................................................. 28
4.2 Geometry............................................................................................................................ 28
4.3 Mesh ................................................................................................................................... 30
4.4 Mesh Independence Study................................................................................................ 30
4.5 Mesh Quality Tests............................................................................................................ 32
4.6 FLUENT Solver................................................................................................................. 33
4.6.1 Materials ..................................................................................................................... 34
4.6.2 Formulae Used............................................................................................................ 36
4.6.3 MATLAB Program .................................................................................................... 36
4.6.4 Nanofluid Properties .................................................................................................. 38
4.7 Boundary Conditions ........................................................................................................ 39
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4.8 Residuals and Initialization .............................................................................................. 40
5 RESULTS ................................................................................................................................. 41
5.1 Heat sink ............................................................................................................................ 41
5.1.1 Different Fin Height and Base Thickness ................................................................ 41
5.1.2 Different Fin Spacing and Fin Thickness ................................................................ 41
5.2 Metal Foam ........................................................................................................................ 43
5.3 Nanofluids .......................................................................................................................... 45
5.3.1 Different Concentration and Nanoparticles ............................................................ 45
5.3.2 Comparison with Water ............................................................................................ 46
5.4 Contours of Best Results................................................................................................... 47
5.4.1 For different fin height and base thickness ............................................................. 48
5.4.2 For different fin spacing and fin thickness .............................................................. 49
5.4.3 For Metal Foam porosity and pore density ............................................................. 50
5.4.4 For different concentration and nanoparticles ....................................................... 52
6 EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION ........................................................................................ 54
6.1 Comparison with Welsford et al. ..................................................................................... 54
6.2 Comparison with Ghaziani and Hassanipour ................................................................ 55
7 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY ................................................. 57
8 CONCLUSION......................................................................................................................... 58
9 FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS ....................................................................................... 59
xi
10 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 60
xii
List of Figures
Fig 3. 1: Methodology Followed................................................................................................... 16
Fig 3. 2: 10 mm fin height with 2 mm thick base ......................................................................... 17
Fig 3. 8: 10 mm fin spacing with 1 mm thick fins ........................................................................ 19
Fig 3. 9: 10 mm fin spacing with 2 mm thick fins ........................................................................ 20
Fig 3. 10: 12.5 mm fin spacing with 1 mm thick fins ................................................................... 20
Fig 3. 11: 12.5 mm fin spacing with 2 mm thick fins ................................................................... 20
Fig 3. 12: 15 mm fin spacing with 1 mm thick fins ...................................................................... 21
Fig 3. 13: 15 mm fin spacing with 2 mm thick fins ...................................................................... 21
Fig 3. 14: 75 percent porosity 5 PPI.............................................................................................. 23
Fig 3. 15: 75 percent porosity 10 PPI............................................................................................ 24
xiii
Fig 4. 1: Assembly of Heat sink and Metal Foam ....................................................................... 29
Fig 4. 2: Assembly with fluid region ............................................................................................ 29
Fig 4. 3: Mesh of the model .......................................................................................................... 30
Fig 4. 4: Mesh Independence ........................................................................................................ 31
Fig 4. 5: Element Quality ............................................................................................................. 32
Fig 4. 6: Orthogonality .................................................................................................................. 33
Fig 4. 7: Skewness ....................................................................................................................... 33
Fig 4. 8: Aluminum from Materials Database .............................................................................. 34
Fig 4. 9: Copper from Materials Database .................................................................................... 35
Fig 4. 10: Water from Materials Database .................................................................................... 35
Fig 5. 1: Temperature graph for Varying Fin Height .................................................................... 41
Fig 5. 2: Heat Transfer Coefficient graph for varying Fin Height ................................................ 41
Fig 5. 3: Temperature Graph for varying Fin Spacing .................................................................. 41
Fig 5. 4: Heat transfer coefficient graph for varying Fin Height .................................................. 42
Fig 5. 5: Temperature graph for varying Porosity ........................................................................ 43
Fig 5. 6: Nusselt Number graph for varying Porosity ................................................................... 43
Fig 5. 7: Pressure Drop graph for varying Porosity ..................................................................... 44
Fig 5. 8: Heat Transfer Coefficient graph for varying Concentration .......................................... 45
Fig 5. 9: Friction Factor graph for varying Concentration ............................................................ 45
Fig 5. 10: Nusselt Number graph for comparison with Water ...................................................... 46
Fig 5. 11: Pressure Drop graph for comparison with Water ......................................................... 47
Fig 5. 12: Temperature Contour for 25 mm Fin Height, 2 mm Base Thickness .......................... 48
Fig 5. 13: Pressure Contour for 25 mm Fin Height, 2 mm Base Thickness ................................ 48
xiv
Fig 5. 14: Temperature Contour for 10 mm Fin Spacing, 2mm Fin Thickness, Copper Fins ...... 49
Fig 5. 15: Pressure Contour for 10 mm Fin Spacing, 2mm Fin Thickness, Copper Fins ............. 49
Fig 5. 16: Temperature Contour for 85 % Porosity, 5 PPI Copper Metal Foam .......................... 50
Fig 5. 17: Pressure Contour for 85 % Porosity, 5 PPI Copper Metal Foam ................................. 51
Fig 5. 18: Temperature Contour for 0.9 % volumetric concentration Copper Nanofluid ............. 52
Fig 5. 19: Pressure Contour for 0.9 % volumetric concentration Copper Nanofluid ................... 52
Fig 6. 1: Comparison with Welsford et al. .................................................................................... 54
Fig 6. 2: Comparison with Ghaziani and Hassanipour ................................................................. 55
xv
List of Tables
Table 1: Mesh Independence ........................................................................................................ 31
Table 2: Nanofluid Properties ....................................................................................................... 38
xvi
Nomenclature
CFD Computational Fluid Dynamics
Al2O3 Aluminum Oxide / Alumina
Cu Copper
CuO Copper Oxide
SiC Silicon Carbide
TiO2 Titanium Oxide / Titania
PPI Pores per Inch
CAD Computer Aided Design
STL Stereolithography
BCC Body Centered Cubic
FCC Face Centered Cubic
LTE Local Thermal Equilibrium
LTNE Local Thermal Non-Equilibrium
RNG Renormalization Group Method
xvii
SIMPLE Semi-Implicit Method for Pressure Linked Equations
Re Reynold’s Number
Pr Prandtl Number
Nu Nusselt Number
CT Computed Tomography
Φ Volumetric Concentration of Nanoparticles
ρw Density of water
ρp Density of Nanoparticles
ρnf Effective density of Nanofluid
cp,w Specific Heat Capacity of water
cp,p Specific Heat Capacity of Nanoparticles
cp,nf Effective specific heat capacity of Nanofluid
kw Thermal Conductivity of water
kp Thermal Conductivity of Nanoparticles
knf Effective Thermal Conductivity of Nanofluid
xviii
μw Viscosity of water
μnf Effective Viscosity of Nanofluid
U Heat Transfer Coefficient
ΔP Pressure Drop
f Skin Friction Coefficient
LPM Flow rate in Litres per minute
xix
1 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Motivation
Due to the increased demand of processing power from microelectronics devices on electronic
circuit boards along with miniaturization of these systems, the heat dissipation requirements from
these devices is ever increasing. This heat dissipation requirement if not fulfilled eventually leads
to failure of these devices. The project aims to provide thermal management of microelectronic
devices using combination of metal foam, nanofluid, and heat sink to counter heat generation in
the microelectronics during their operation. [1]
Use of metal foam in different industries has been gaining popularity in recent times. Metal foams
present a new avenue of research for porous materials in structural and thermal applications. The
authors find this a good opportunity to apply their engineering knowledge and test their skills by
developing a heat dissipation system using the aforementioned material.
Nanofluids have gained immense popularity in the field of heat transfer. Nanoparticles enhance
the thermal properties of the base fluid, thereby increasing heat dissipation. Experimental studies
have been carried out using cooling systems employing metal foam and nanofluids, however the
authors found a lack of research on their numerical counterpart. The motivation to work on this
project is derived from this learning opportunity. Through modification of heat sink and metal
foam geometry combined with use of nanofluids, cooling systems for microelectronics devices
can be improved.
1
1.2 Overview
The project deals with comparative numerical study of different heat sink models. Different
configurations were designed through variation of fin height, fin thickness, fin spacing, base
thickness, and material for the heat sink, pore density, porosity, and material for the metal foam,
and concentration, velocity, and nanoparticle material for the nanofluids. SOLIDWORKS 2019
was used in designing the different heat sink and metal foam models and their assemblies. For
thermal analysis simulations ANSYS FLUENT 18.1 was used. The materials compared for heat
sink and metal foam were aluminum and copper, as they were found to be widely used in cooling
systems through literature survey. Nanoparticles under study were Al2O3, Cu, CuO, SiC, and TiO2.
Parameters including base temperature, Nusselt number, heat transfer coefficient, and pressure
drop were investigated. From these the configuration providing best simulation results was
selected.
1.3 Research Objectives
The objectives of this project include the designing of a cooling system that can be used for
effective microelectronics cooling. The investigation of different fluid and thermal parameters to
find the configuration of metal foam and nanofluid that provides the best thermal performance.
This will help to improve the service life and reliability of microelectronic devices. It is aimed that
the project be carried out through a parametric study to obtain the best results.
2
2 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Background
2.1.1 Microelectronic Devices
Microelectronic devices are used in a variety of applications ranging from processing units of
computers and laptops to smart appliances. These microelectronic devices are mainly
manufactured from semi-conducting materials. For the past many years, one of the latest
developments in this field tends towards miniaturizing of these devices along with high-
performance. This miniaturization of electronic devices has setup a hurdle of heat dissipation
problems in the performance of these devices. For the stable and better operations of these
computing devices, a cooling system is desirable that will remove the heat from high heat flux
region both effectively and efficiently.
2.1.2 Thermal Management
Overheating a major concern in electronics during operation. Thermal management involves the
generation, control and dissipation of heat generated. To counter heat dissipation in
microelectronics cooling systems are needed. The thermal management of cooling of these devices
avoids failure and shortening of service life. Modern and the latest technologies and the techniques
used for cooling of microelectronic devices include heat sinks, thermoelectric coolers, forced
convection systems, fans, and heat pipes. In this study the cooling system is achieved using a
combination of metal foam, heat sinks, and nanofluids. The cooling system designed will be
capable of dissipating the required amount of heat effectively and efficiently.
3
2.1.3 Heat sink
Heat sink is used component that have been used as a cooling device for thermal management of
electronic devices. It increases the device working surface are using extended surfaces including
fins, plates, and pins. The heat sinks are used in different configurations like in-line, staggered,
and V shape. Different shapes of fins like pin fins, rectangular, annular, and with constant or
variable area are used for the heat sinks. The heat sinks are usually made up of aluminum or copper.
The thermal management techniques used are enhancing the performance of heat sink by
optimizing the heat sink geometry. This increases the heat transfer rate by improving the fluid
structure interactions.
2.1.4 Metal foam
Metal foam is a revolutionary material that exhibits different properties compared to its solid
material counterpart. It has a cellular structure characterized by their cell topology, relative density,
cell size, and cell shape. Metal foam can be open cell or closed cell. Open cell Metal foam allows
the passage of fluids through its pores and generally has high porosity. Open cell foams are used
as heat exchangers, in electrodes, in electronics cooling, sandwich panels, and filtration and
separation with the potential of being used in biomedical applications. Closed cell metal foam
blocks the passage of fluid and generally has a low porosity. Closed cell foams are used as energy
dampers in cars and buildings, fire retardant applications, thermal insulation, and impact
absorption applications.
Open cell metal foams have a high coefficient of thermal conductivity, increased surface area,
porosity, and a pore density (PPI). PPI are the linear pores per inch for the foam. For a fixed
porosity the higher the PPI the smaller will be the pore size. Porosity refers to the percentage of
the metal foam structure that is filled by gases when placed in the atmosphere. The higher the
4
porosity the lower the relative density. It is for this reason that metal foams have good strength to
weight ratios compared to their solid counterparts. Different types of materials including Titanium,
Copper, Aluminum, and Nickel are used in its manufacturing. The material chosen depends on the
type of application. Low porosity and high pore density (closed cell in most cases) foams also have
high stress resistance, as surface area of metal increases. The pressure drop across the metal foam
is directly related to its porosity, with higher porosity foam giving lower pressure drop. The
ligament thickness and cell shape also affect pressure drop. The high conductivity ligaments of the
foam transport heat rapidly and the turbulent flow facilitates heat transfer from the solid to the
fluid.
Foaming by gas injection is widely used for the preparation of metal foams. In it the metal matrix
composite is melted with gas bubbles injected through impellers and nozzles. The resultant
mixture floats up to the surface of liquid and solidifies. An alternate method is by using a viscosity
enhancement substance in the molten metal and adding a blowing agent for the foaming process.
Metal foams have also been produced by powder compact melting, investment casting, spray
forming, sintering of metal powders and fibers, electrochemical deposition, vapour deposition, and
gas entrapment. Space holding fillers are also used in its manufacturing with metal powder and
organic binder mixed and space holders made from ceramic, polymers, salts or other metals placed
to create pores. After compacting process, the space holders are removed. Metal foams are also 3-
D printed with CAD models of the foam created, from which STL files are created. These STL
files are then imported to the 3-D printer, which then physically creates the structure.
2.1.5 Nanofluid
Nanofluids are made with the combination of nanoscale particles (less than 100 nm in diameter)
and a base fluid. Nanofluids enhance the thermal properties of their base fluids thus are used in
5
electronics cooling applications. Nanoparticles can be metals like copper, metal oxides like
Alumina, and carbon nanotubes among others. The effective thermal conductivity of the base fluid
increases as nanoparticles have a higher thermal conductivity than base fluid. The effective
specific heat capacity of the base fluid is lowered due to the low specific heat capacity of the
nanoparticles. The effective density of the base fluid becomes higher due to nanoparticles having
higher densities. Viscosity also increases due to presence of the nanoparticles.
There are two methods for the preparation of nanofluids. In the single step method, Under the
centrifugal force of the rotating disk, a flowing thin film of base liquid is formed on the wall of
the vessel. Raw material is heated and evaporated in a resistively heated crucible, the vapor is
condensed into nano-sized particles when it contacts the cold base liquid film, and nanofluid is
obtained. The two-step method has two procedures. The first procedure is the synthesis of
nanomaterial, which is usually in the form of dry powder. The second procedure is the dispersion
of nanomaterial in the base liquid such as water, ethanol and ethylene glycol. During this
procedure, some measures, for instance, addition of dispersant or/and an ultrasonication process,
are generally carried out to enhance the stability of the resulting nanofluids. When two or more
different types of nanoparticles are used in the preparation of the nanofluid, the resulting nanofluid
is called is called a hybrid nanofluid.
2.2 Previous work on Heat sink
Elnaggar carried out an analytical investigation of the effect of number of fins and the fin thickness
on the performance of the heat sink. Through the use of Design of Experiment software, the fin
thickness and number were varied. Their results showed an increase in heat transfer rate with both
6
fin number and thickness; however, the effect of fin number was more significant than fin
thickness. It was also found that after a certain limit increase in fin thickness adversely affected
flow conditions and decreased heat transfer rate [2]. The reason being choked flow in heat sink
channels hence also making fin thickness is a major parameter to heat sink performance [3].
Optimum fin spacing leads to maximum heat transfer coefficient, Nusselt number, and heat
transfer rate. It also leads to decrease in heat sink weight [4].
Experimental study to study free convective heat transfer from vertical rectangular fin array using
fixed spacing and thickness of fins for aluminum heat sink revealed enhancement of heat transfer
rate with increase in fin height, decrease in average base temperature. Increase in Nusselt number
and heat transfer coefficient with increase in fin height [5].
CFD analysis of different fin geometries using ANSYS revealed wider thermal boundary layer and
high heat transfer rate in materials such as copper compared to aluminum and steel as they have
non-uniformity in temperature and heat flux distribution. The study revealed copper a suitable
material for high heat transfer applications and aluminum for applications where mass of heat sink
is important [6]. CFD simulations at high Reynold’s number revealed an increase in pressure drop,
velocity, and heat transfer coefficient with increase in Reynold’s number [7].
2.3 Previous work on Metal Foam
Boomsma and Poulikakos developed a thermal conductivity model for porous metal foam using
tetrakaidecahedron. Their research showed that the model estimated the effective thermal
conductivity very well for experimental configurations and heat conductivity of the solid phase
controlled effective thermal conductivity to a large extent [8].
7
Bhattacharya and Mahajan experimentally investigated the use of metal foam heat sinks in
electronics for forced convective heat transfer. By replacing the air gap between fins with metal
foam, they conducted experiments with high porosity metal foam. Their results showed
considerable enhancement in heat transfer with the use of metal foam heat sink, although it led to
increase in pressure drop. Their results also showed decrease in heat transfer coefficient after a
certain number of fins due to interference in thermal boundary layer [9]. Compared to finned heat
sink, metal foam heat sink had uniform surface temperature, fast heat dissipation and no heat
accumulation. With increase in pore density, heat transfer coefficient increased along with
pressure drop [10].
Krishnan et al. modelled the metal foam as a BCC structure to reduce the computational power
and the time required to obtain effective thermal conductivity, pressure drop, and local heat
transfer coefficient from direct simulation of the structure. The results show that the model predicts
the parameters considerably well at high porosities, whereas for low porosities where foam is no
longer open celled the model cannot be applied [11].
Lin et al. investigated thermal performance of aluminum foam using LTE and LTNE models. The
turbulence model used was RNG k-ε. Their results showed LTE model predicted the same average
Nusselt number as LTNE model when air velocity was high. Due to aluminum foam being in
thermal equilibrium, value of interfacial heat transfer coefficient did not have any effect on thermal
performance. LTE model can be used instead of LTNE model at high velocities or large foam
heights [12]. The thermal non-equilibrium effect between the solid and fluid phases is alleviated
in the conditions of high porosity, large pore density, high Reynold’s number, low thermal
conductivity ratio and large aspect ratio [13]. CFD investigation of aluminum foam using
Brinkmann-Forchheimer extended Darcy model is investigated using COMSOL Multiphysics
8
software. Their results showed that due to strong flow-mixing capabilities of the foam structures
velocity profile remains unchanged in flow direction, the pressure profile decreases linearly with
higher porosity metal foam showing higher pressure drop. The effect of imposed heat flux on
temperature field is due mainly to heat conduction inside the porous matrix [14].
Pulvirenti et al. carried out numerical simulation of the heat transfer at the pore level for an
artificial metal foam with spatially periodic structure by modelling each unit cell as a gyroid to
assess flow and heat transfer in a metal foam using StarCCM+ 2019.2. they obtained a nonlinear
correlation between the pressure gradient and the inlet velocity showing that the Darcy-Forcheimer
model is a good approximation for flow through metal foam [15].
Bayomy and Saghir investigated both experimentally and numerically, heat transfer characteristics
of heat sinks made of aluminum metal foam with uniform base heating subjected to steady water
flow in non-Darcy regime were studied. Heat sink with no channels, two channels, and three
channels were researched. Distributions for local surface temperature and local Nusselt number
were obtained and compared to numerical results. The results showed increase in local surface
temperature as heat flux increased. Heat sink with no channels achieved low surface temperature,
high average Nusselt number, and pressure drop [16].
Xu et al. numerically investigated flow and heat transfer characteristics of nanofluid through coper
metal foam ducts. The governing equations used were the continuity, energy, and momentum
equations which were numerically solved by the SIMPLE algorithm. Water was used as based
fluid. The results showed a uniform velocity profile with LTNE effect when conductivity
difference between solid and fluid is large. The use of nanofluids also increases the pressure drop
[17].
9
Ghaziani and Hassanipour performed an experimental study with metal foam filled heat sink
through which Al2O3 nanofluid flowed at different volume concentrations with constant heat flux
at base. The result of heat transfer enhancement by Al2O3 nanofluid in porous media is studied
under various flow velocities, heat flux, porous media structure, and particle concentration of
nanofluid. The effect of particles volume fraction on heat transfer coefficient is also studied. The
results showed significant improvement in heat transfer as thermal conductivity increases, when
both metal foam and nanofluid are used. Increasing nanofluid concentration improves performance
however the effect becomes weaker after a certain threshold. The results from this
study reveal that chaotic movements, dispersions, fluctuations, and interactions by porous medium
play an important role for the augmentation of heat transfer [18].
Pourfarzad et al. experimentally investigated heat transfer and pressure drop at different
concentrations of alumina nanofluid and at different pore densities of metal foam. The results
showed an increase in convective heat transfer coefficient and Nusselt number with increase in
Reynold’s number. Increment in pore density and nanofluid volume fraction led to an increase in
heat transfer rate and pressure drop, however it decreased thermal resistance. Better results were
obtained at low pore density and high-volume fraction [19].
Saghir et al. investigated experimentally heat transfer enhancement at different pore densities for
metal foam, and at different flow rates and concentrations for alumina nanofluid. Results showed
that nanofluid and forced convection led to heat transfer enhancement. This led the researchers to
the conclusion that heat enhancement is possible with nanofluids at high flowrates with the results
evident when compared to water [20]. In a numerical investigation porous block, porous straight
channel, and porous wavy channel heat sinks had Al2O3/water, Al2O3/ ethyl glycol, TiO2/water,
and TiO2/ ethyl glycol nanofluids all with 0.5 % volumetric concentration passed through them.
10
Results showed Al2O3 nanofluid giving better heat extraction, lower friction coefficient, and best
temperature uniformity, and water proved to be the better base fluid for all three cases. The straight
channels showed the lowest pumping power. The efficiency index was also the best for Al2O3
nanofluid [21].
Welsford et al. carried out an experimental and numerical investigation on the thermal
effectiveness of metal foam with nanofluid channeling. The study considered variable heat flux,
nanofluid concentration and considered porously filled channels and bulk porous media. The
nanofluid used in the experimental and numerical work was γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles suspended in
water. COMSOL Multiphysics was used for numerical work. Results showed that porously filled
channels have increased convective strength compared to bulk porous media, however they give
a higher pressure drop [22].
2.4 Previous work on Nanofluids
Copper nanofluid with various volume fractions inside silicon microchannel heat sink was
investigated. The nanofluid was treated as a single-phase fluid with water as base fluid. For the
results theoretical models with experimental correlations were used. Performance was enhanced
due to increase in thermal conductivity and nanoparticle dispersion effect, with no significant extra
pressure drop due to small volume fractions [23]. The same results were observed with copper
oxide nanofluid inside a thin channeled copper water block [24]. In a similar study with alumina
nanofluid, the friction factor was found to increase slightly and wall temperature found to decrease,
when compared with water in addition to previously mentioned results [25]. The base temperature
also reduced with the use of alumina nanofluid [26], while wall shear stress substantially increases
11
[27]. Investigation at low volume fractions through silicon microchannels revealed Nusselt
number increases with increase in Prandtl number also in addition to Reynold’s number and
volume concentration. Additionally at high wall temperatures and decreasing flow rate, the
nanoparticles were deposited and adhered to inner walls of heat sink when boiling commenced
[28]. Alumina nanofluid also reduces thermal entropy generation however there is an increase in
frictional entropy generation and pressure drop at higher volume fractions due to increased density
and surface friction [29]. Another study investigated TiO2 nanofluid in mini-rectangular heat sinks.
Effects of inlet temperature, Reynold’s number, and heat flux on heat transfer characteristics were
studied. Their results showed enhanced heat transfer with nearly identical pressure drop [30]. To
find upper limitations of heat transfer for TiO2 nanofluid in microchannel heat sinks volume
concentration up to 2.0 % was investigated. Results revealed decrease in surface temperature for
up to 1.5 % volume concentration with heat transfer enhancement stopping after the
aforementioned value, and effect of increase in viscosity becoming dominant over thermal
conductivity enhancement [31].
When used in combination with micro pin fins in microchannel heat sinks, the thermal
conductance was found to increase at any volume fraction for all surveyed Be numbers. It was also
found that use of alumina nanofluid in combination with micro pin fins increased thermal
conductance and temperature difference further but also increased pressure drop. Additionally,
nanofluids decrease peak temperature more than inserting micro pin fins and an optimum volume
fraction for each set of conditions giving best performance [32]. Investigating different shaped
TiO2 nanoparticles using transient how wire apparatus with an integrated model showed
surfactants play an effective role for proper dispersion of nanoparticles, and higher heat transfer
characteristics. Rod shaped nanoparticles with higher shape factor (n=6) than spherical
12
nanoparticles (n=3) gave a higher increase in thermal conductivity [33]. Investigation of alumina
nanofluid flowing in horizontal counter flow shell and tube heat exchanger under turbulent
conditions showed the same thermal performance characteristics as with its use in channeled heat
sinks [34]. CFD modelling of alumina nanofluid with 4 different models namely single phase,
VOF, mixture, and Eulerian with three-dimensional steady state governing partial differential
equations discretized through finite volume method revealed that two phase models were very
close to each other in both hydrodynamic and heat transfer characteristics. The two-phase model
is more accurate with experimental results than single phase model, however mixture model takes
less run time and processing power [35].
For investigating electronics cooling the researchers used a water block with Al2O3 nanofluid
applied for CPU cooling. Their results showed nanofluids have roughly the same performance in
real systems as they do in well controlled experimental systems without a large increase in required
pumping power [36]. In another study CuO/water nanofluid was used at different concentrations
and its performance compared with water for electronics cooling. Modelling, meshing and
simulation were carried out using CATIAv5 and ANSYS Fluent v12 CFX. Results showed that
increase in Reynold’s number increased Nusselt number, increase in volume fraction reduced
thermal resistance, and use of nanofluids decreased the failure rate of electronics chips
dramatically. Reason for decrease in failure being improved reliability due to decreased thermal
stresses [37]. Comparing SiC nanofluid to TiO2 nanofluid analytically, the researchers found SiC
to give a larger thermal conductivity enhancement. It was also found increasing concentration and
velocity of flow increased heat dissipation however pumping power was also found to be increased
[38]. Numerical study with the same nanofluids revealed increasing heat transfer coefficient with
increasing volume fraction and Reynold’s number. When compared with the analytical results of
13
[38] good agreement was reached between analytical and numerical results [39]. In another study,
Al2O3, SiC, and CuO nanofluids were compared at different concentrations and velocities. It was
found that SiC nanofluid gave highest thermal conductivity, and CuO nanofluid highest heat
transfer coefficient and heat flux enhancement. CuO nanofluid was found most suitable for
electronics cooling in this study [40]. Using mixture of water and ethyl glycol for alumina, titania,
and silica nanoparticles in computer cooling systems revealed considerable reduction in processor
operating temperature however while using these fluids cost of the cooling system and stability of
nanofluid need to be taken into account [41].
Use of Al2O3-Cu/Water hybrid nanofluid in copper heat sink used for electronics cooling. The
nanocomposite was synthesized by thermochemical route followed by hydrogen reduction
technique. Using X-ray diffraction and Scanning electron microscope particle size and surface
morphology were determined. A reduction in fluid inlet and interface temperature was observed.
The rise in heat transfer coefficient compared to increase in pumping power was more hence
making hybrid nanofluids suitable for electronics cooling [42]. When numerically investigated in
the turbulent regime and compared with alumina nanofluid for flow through a uniformly heated
copper tube using finite volume discretization method, the hybrid nanofluid revealed that classical
models used for nanofluids are not suitable for predicting properties of hybrid nanofluids as they
underestimate properties. Results also revealed higher increase in heat transfer coefficient and
Darcy friction factor along with a decrease in wall temperature along the tube [43]. Nusselt number
is also found to increase with Reynold’s number. Addition of higher portion of Cu nanoparticle in
the hybrid nanofluid increases the heat transfer coefficient, Nusselt number, and friction factor,
and decreases pressure drop [44].
14
Semiempirical correlations were used to calculate effective thermophysical properties of the
nanofluid in a heat sink used for electronics cooling, with developing laminar forced convection.
The model predicted thermal resistance and pumping power as functions of channel diameter,
velocity, number of channels, and nanofluid volume fraction. Results revealed that benefit of using
nanofluid to base fluid is minimized if aforementioned parameters are optimized, as additional
pumping power needed by nanofluid and be used to increase velocity of base fluid alone [45].
2.5 Importance of Thermal Management
Jajja et al. investigated effective thermal management of high heat generating microprocessors.
Their results from experimental investigations showed that geometrically enhanced heat sinks with
freely available fluid like water can provide better cooling than simple heat sinks with nanofluids.
Through thermal management the need for nanofluids can be removed will lead to significant cost
savings and problems associated with nanofluids like agglomeration, not occurring. [46].
2.6 Research Gap
The author’s after reviewing the literature found that metal foam and nanofluid have been
investigated individually and in combination with each other in the field of electronics cooling.
However no numerical study was found in which combination of metal foam and nanofluid both
had their parameters considerably varied. The aim of the study is to address this gap by numerically
investigating variation in fin height, fin spacing, fin thickness, and base thickness for a square base
rectangular finned heatsink, porosity and pore density for the metal foam, along with variation in
concentration and nanoparticle material for the nanofluid using the k-ε turbulence model. The base
temperature, Nusselt number, heat transfer coefficient, and pressure drop are found to determine
the influence of the aforementioned parameters on the performance of the heat sink.
15
3 METHODOLOGY
Fig 3. 1: Methodology Followed
16
The literature review revealed that simple heat sinks used for microelectronics cooling are
becoming unreliable in their performance of dissipating the required amount of heat, leading to
reduction in service life of the microelectronic chips. Thermal management can be used for the
effective heat dissipation using new and improved, or the combination of conventional and modern
heat dissipation methods. The research involves the use of said methods with heat sink comprised
of a combination of fins, metal foam, and nanofluid. The methodology followed has been shown
in Fig 3.1.
3.1 CAD Model of Heat sink
SOLIDWORKS 2019 was used for the modelling of the heat sink with various fin heights, base
thickness, fin thickness, and fin spacing. To save time taken by simulations initially variation in
fin height along with change in base thickness were modelled. After obtaining the required
aforementioned parameters, the fin thickness was varied.
3.1.1 For different fin heights and base thickness
The heat sinks modelled in CAD for various fin heights have been shown from Fig 3.2-3.7.
Fig 3. 2: 10 mm fin height with 2 mm thick base
17
18
3.1.2 For different fin spacing and fin thickness
The heat sinks modelled for various fin spacing and thicknesses have been shown from Fig 3.8-
3.13.
Fig 3. 8: 10 mm fin spacing with 1 mm thick fins
19
Fig 3. 10: 12.5 mm fin spacing with 1 mm thick fins
Fig 3. 11: 12.5 mm fin spacing with 2 mm thick fins
20
3.2 Numerical study of Heat sink
The numerical simulations were carried out on ANSYS FLUENT 18.1 with the models generated
in CAD imported, meshed, boundary conditions applied to them, and results obtained for the
Temperature, Nusselt number, and Heat transfer coefficient. Temperature contours were also
generated.
3.3 CAD Model for the Metal Foam
To generate the CAD model for metal foam, three main modelling approaches were found. These
were: -
21
➢ 3-D Scanning: - Computed tomography images of aluminum foam are obtained for a three-
dimensional model of the foam. CT scanning was carried out using a CT system and an
X-ray source. By detecting the edges of the images, a 3D graphic image is developed from
the CT image slices. A simulation software is then used which divides the model into two
parts according to the lightness and darkness of the CT images as aluminum and cell by
controlled threshold through the segmentation process. The segmented CT images were
then stacked to form a 3D volume model [47].
➢ Lord Kelvin Cell: - The metal foam structure is assumed to be made of ligaments that form
a network of interconnected Tetrakaidecahedron cells, which consists of six squares and
eight hexagons and was first proposed by lord Kelvin. The tetrakaidecahedron is an
idealized shape most likely to be attained by metal foam in foaming process [48].
➢ Repeated Unit cells: - Three approaches can be used to simplify the metal foam structure.
These are the prism model, the face centered cubic model (FCC), and the body centered
cubic model (BCC). The prism model is the simplest model and has good versatility. It
can simulate almost all the porosity in the metal foam. However due to the wide range of
straight channels in three dimensions and droplets are unable to change direction to reach
exit, which is not the case in actual foam. The FCC model is formed by cutting a sphere
in the center of the cube. Due to this the channels are not straight. The BCC model is
created by removing spheres from the center and each of the eight vertices of a cube. The
model has more channels and can be applied to higher porosity. The BCC model assumes
that bubbles grow from the center and the eight vertices of a cube, while the FCC model
22
assumes that only one big bubble grows from the center of the cube. The BCC model more
closely resembles a real metal foam structure [49].
3-D scanning could not be used as it requires porosity and pore density to be fixed for the sample
to be scanned, whereas the project required the effect of change in porosity and pore density be
studied for its influence on studied parameters. Comparing the Lord Kelvin cell to the repeated
unit cell structure, the repeated unit cell structure requires a lower computational power and time,
hence the reason for its choice.
The unit cell was created by modelling a cube of the required dimensions. From the center of the
cube a sphere was removed with diameter equal to pore diameter and from each edge of the cube
one-eighth of a sphere was removed. The unit cell was then patterned in all three dimensions to
occupy the empty volume between adjacent fins. Fig 3.14-3.21 show metal foam with different
porosities and pore densities.
Fig 3. 14: 75 percent porosity 5 PPI
23
24
25
3.4 Numerical study of combination of Heat sink and Metal Foam
The assembly was created in SOLIDWORKS by having metal foam fill the fin spacing. This
assembly was then imported into ANSYS FLUENT 18.1, and meshed, boundary conditions added,
and simulation run to obtain results for the required parameters and generate the required contours.
3.5 Analytical Calculations for Nanofluid
For the different nanofluids to be studied, their effective density, viscosity, thermal conductivity,
and specific heat capacity needed to be known. Formulae were used from literature [37] and the
corresponding properties calculated for the range of volumetric concentrations under study for
each nanofluid.
3.6 Numerical study of combination of Heat sink, Metal foam, and Nanofluid
Water was replaced by the nanofluids in the simulations being carried out. The nanofluid was
assumed as a single-phase fluid with spherical nanoparticles. The rest of the procedure was same
to obtain the required results and contours. For each simulation the properties of water were
replaced with the properties of the different nanofluids for their volume concentrations.
26
3.7 Experimental Validation and Compilation of Results
After completion of the simulations, the results obtained were verified through experimental
validation with [18, 22]. The results obtained for both numerical study and experimental validation
were compiled into tabular form and graphs obtained between different parameters according to
the requirement of the study. Microsoft Excel was used for tabulation of results and Grapher 12
software was used to plot the graphs.
27
4 ANALYSIS
4.1 Introduction to Software
SolidWorks is a solid modeling computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided engineering
(CAE) application published by Dassault Systems. Building a model in SolidWorks usually starts
with a 2D sketch. The sketch consists of geometry such as points, lines, arcs, conics, and splines.
Dimensions are added to the sketch to define the size and location of the geometry. Relations are
used to define attributes such as tangency, parallelism, perpendicularity, and concentricity. In an
assembly, the analog to sketch relations are called mates. Just as sketch relations define conditions
such as tangency, parallelism, and concentricity with respect to sketch geometry, assembly mates
define equivalent relations with respect to the individual parts or components, allowing the easy
construction of assemblies.
ANSYS FLUENT is used for the modelling of complex flow and heat transfer problems which are
solved through numerical techniques using discretization methods. Different parameters of the
flow including temperature, pressure, velocity, heat flux, among many others can be found at
different regions in the geometry. Contours, vectors, and plots of aforementioned parameters can
be created. Another feature creates animation of flow. The analysis carried out can be both steady
state and transient. The main advantage of this advanced tool is that engineers can predict or
analyze the behavior of so many complex systems by solving it through number of techniques
within the fluent solver.
4.2 Geometry
The geometry after being designed as three different parts i.e., Heat sink, Metal Foam, Fluid region
was assembled with the fins of the heat sink being filled by the metal foam, and the pores of the
28
metal foam being occupied by the fluid region to form the heat sink assembly. For the heat sink
only one set of repeating fin geometry was taken to save computational time and power. This
assembly, as shown by Fig 4.1 without fluid region and by Fig 4.2 with the fluid region, was then
imported into ANSYS.
Fig 4. 1: Assembly of Heat sink and Metal Foam
Fig 4. 2: Assembly with fluid region
29
4.3 Mesh
The model was meshed using FLUENT with CFD physics preference. Curvature size function was
used with a max face size of 0.001 m and medium smoothing. Inflation was used with smooth
transition, 5 layers and 1.2 growth rate. Automatic method was used on the heat sink, metal foam,
and nanofluid bodies. Due to the large element size of mesh on the faces of the heat sink,
Refinement of 2 was carried out which produced better results. An unstructured mesh was created
for all 3 bodies with majority of the elements being tetrahedral. Interfaces were created between
the heat sink and metal foam, heat sink and fluid region, and metal foam and fluid region. Named
selections were also made for the inlet, outlet, and base of the heat sink. Fig 4.3 shows the mesh
obtained.
Fig 4. 3: Mesh of the model
4.4 Mesh Independence Study
Mesh independence test was necessary in order to save time in computation. In this test the
optimum number of elements was selected which was enough to get the correct output parameter
by avoiding time taking calculations. The plots for temperature and Nusselt number were found to
be relatively unchanged however the plot for heat transfer coefficient showed variation. The
30
finalized mesh has almost 4.5 million elements and 917 thousand nodes, with heat transfer
coefficient being 2705.7 W/m2. Table 1 shows the heat transfer coefficient for the different number
of elements investigated. The data from table 1 has been plotted in Fig 4.4.
Table 1: Mesh Independence
Fig 4. 4: Mesh Independence
31
4.5 Mesh Quality Tests
For the mesh from our mesh independence study, the minimum element quality was 0.11187 and
maximum was 1 with an average of 0.8331. As shown by Fig 4.5 most of the elements had a mesh
quality of 0.5 or higher which is considered as a very good element quality. The orthogonal quality
for the mesh had 0.082243 as a minimum and 0.99538 as a maximum with an average of 0.76786,
with most of the elements having an orthogonal quality of more than 0.38 as shown by Fig 4.6.
An orthogonal quality higher than 0.2 is considered good. Fig 4.7 shows that minimum skewness
of the elements achieved was 6.7165*10-6 with a maximum of 0.91776 and an average of 0.23097.
The majority of the elements had a skewness of less than 0.5 which is considered as very good. It
was also observed that increasing or decreasing the mesh elements worsened the quality of our
mesh, as the skewness increased and the orthogonal quality and mesh quality decreased.
Fig 4. 5: Element Quality
32
Fig 4. 6: Orthogonality
Fig 4. 7: Skewness
4.6 FLUENT Solver
A steady state pressure-based analysis with absolute velocity formulation was carried out for the
heat transfer analysis. The governing equations for the simulations were: -
33
➢ Continuity Equation:
∇(𝜌𝑉) = 0
➢ Conservation of Momentum Equation:
(𝑢. ∇)𝜌𝑉 = −∇𝑃 + 𝜇∇2 𝑉
➢ Conservation of Energy Equation:
𝑘 2
𝑉. ∇𝑇 = ∇ 𝑇
𝜌𝑐𝑝
The standard k-epsilon model was used for simulating the flow as the Reynold’s number was above
2100 for all the simulations. It is a two-equation based model in which k is the turbulent kinetic
energy per unit mass, and epsilon is the dissipation rate of k.
4.6.1 Materials
After the turbulent models had been finalized the materials were chosen for each body. Aluminum
and Copper were chosen as the materials to be studied for the heat sink and metal foam. Properties
for aluminum (Fig 4.8) and copper (Fig 4.9) were taken from the material database.
Fig 4. 8: Aluminum from Materials Database
34
Fig 4. 9: Copper from Materials Database
For the fluid region water (Fig 4.10) was selected as working fluid for the simulations till heat sink
and metal foam parameters had been finalized after which it was replaced with the nanofluids
being studied. The properties for the nanoparticles were taken from literature along with formulae
for calculating the properties of nanofluids [23, 24, 37, 40]. The formulae were solved using a
MATLAB program and the results tabulated.
Fig 4. 10: Water from Materials Database
35
4.6.2 Formulae Used
➢ For Effective Density
𝜌𝑛𝑓 = 𝜙𝜌𝑝 + (1 − 𝜙)𝜌𝑤
➢ For Effective Specific Heat Capacity
(𝜌𝑐𝑝 )𝑛𝑓 = 𝜙 (𝜌𝑐𝑝 )𝑝 + (1 − 𝜙)(𝜌𝑐𝑝 )𝑤
➢ For Effective Viscosity
𝜇𝑤
𝜇𝑛𝑓 =
(1 − 𝜙)2.5
➢ For Effective Thermal Conductivity
𝑘𝑝 + 2𝑘𝑤 − 2𝜙(𝑘𝑤 − 𝑘𝑝 )
𝑘𝑛𝑓 = [ ]𝑘𝑤
𝑘𝑝 + 2𝑘𝑤 + 𝜙(𝑘𝑤 − 𝑘𝑝 )
4.6.3 MATLAB Program
clc
clear all
format short g
n=3
density_water=998.2
Cp_water=4182
viscosity_water=0.001003
k_water=0.6
% For Al2O3
density_Al2O3=3970
Cp_Al2O3=765
k_Al2O3=46
for phi_Al2O3=0.003:0.003:0.015
phi_Al2O3
density_effective=(1-phi_Al2O3)*density_water+phi_Al2O3*density_Al2O3
Cp_effective=((1-
phi_Al2O3)*(density_water*Cp_water)+phi_Al2O3*(density_Al2O3*Cp_Al2O3))/density_effe
ctive
viscosity_effective=viscosity_water/(1-phi_Al2O3)^2.5
36
k_effective=((k_Al2O3+(n-1)*k_water-(n-1)*phi_Al2O3*(k_water-k_Al2O3))/(k_Al2O3+(n-
1)*k_water+phi_Al2O3*(k_water-k_Al2O3)))*k_water
end
% For Cu
density_Cu=8300
Cp_Cu=420
k_Cu=401
for phi_Cu=0.003:0.003:0.015
phi_Cu
density_effective=(1-phi_Cu)*density_water+phi_Cu*density_Cu
Cp_effective=((1-
phi_Cu)*(density_water*Cp_water)+phi_Cu*(density_Cu*Cp_Cu))/density_effective
viscosity_effective=viscosity_water/(1-phi_Cu)^2.5
k_effective=((k_Cu+(n-1)*k_water-(n-1)*phi_Cu*(k_water-k_Cu))/(k_Cu+(n-
1)*k_water+phi_Cu*(k_water-k_Cu)))*k_water
end
% For CuO
density_CuO=6500
Cp_CuO=535.6
k_CuO=20
for phi_CuO=0.003:0.003:0.015
phi_CuO
density_effective=(1-phi_CuO)*density_water+phi_CuO*density_CuO
Cp_effective=((1-
phi_CuO)*(density_water*Cp_water)+phi_CuO*(density_CuO*Cp_CuO))/density_effective
viscosity_effective=viscosity_water/(1-phi_CuO)^2.5
k_effective=((k_CuO+(n-1)*k_water-(n-1)*phi_CuO*(k_water-k_CuO))/(k_CuO+(n-
1)*k_water+phi_CuO*(k_water-k_CuO)))*k_water
end
% For SiC
density_SiC=3160
Cp_SiC=675
k_SiC=490
for phi_SiC=0.003:0.003:0.015
phi_SiC
density_effective=(1-phi_SiC)*density_water+phi_SiC*density_SiC
Cp_effective=((1-
phi_SiC)*(density_water*Cp_water)+phi_SiC*(density_SiC*Cp_SiC))/density_effective
viscosity_effective=viscosity_water/(1-phi_SiC)^2.5
37
k_effective=((k_SiC+(n-1)*k_water-(n-1)*phi_SiC*(k_water-k_SiC))/(k_SiC+(n-
1)*k_water+phi_SiC*(k_water-k_SiC)))*k_water
end
% For TiO2
density_TiO2=4157
Cp_TiO2=710
k_TiO2=8.4
for phi_TiO2=0.003:0.003:0.015
phi_TiO2
density_effective=(1-phi_TiO2)*density_water+phi_TiO2*density_TiO2
Cp_effective=((1-
phi_TiO2)*(density_water*Cp_water)+phi_TiO2*(density_TiO2*Cp_TiO2))/density_effective
viscosity_effective=viscosity_water/(1-phi_TiO2)^2.5
k_effective=((k_TiO2+(n-1)*k_water-(n-1)*phi_TiO2*(k_water-k_TiO2))/(k_TiO2+(n-
1)*k_water+phi_TiO2*(k_water-k_TiO2)))*k_water
end
4.6.4 Nanofluid Properties
The properties obtained for the nanofluids under study have been shown in Table 2.
Table 2: Nanofluid Properties
Nanofluid Effective Density Effective Cp Effective Viscosity Effective k

(kg/m3) (J/kg.K) (Pa.s) (W/m2K)
Al2O3 1007.1 4141.6 0.0010106 0.60521
Al2O3 1016 4101.9 0.0010182 0.61045
Al2O3 1024.9 4062.9 0.0010259 0.61572
Al2O3 1033.9 4024.5 0.0010337 0.62102
Al2O3 1042.8 3986.9 0.0010416 0.62635
Cu 1020.1 4090.2 0.0010106 0.60539
Cu 1042 4002.2 0.0010182 0.61082
Cu 1063.9 3917.9 0.0010259 0.61627
Cu 1085.8 3836.9 0.0010337 0.62176
38
Cu 1107.7 3759.2 0.0010416 0.62729
CuO 1014.7 4111.9 0.0010106 0.60496
CuO 1031.2 4044.1 0.0010182 0.60994
CuO 1047.7 3978.4 0.0010259 0.61495
CuO 1064.2 3914.7 0.0010337 0.61999
CuO 1080.7 3853 0.0010416 0.62505
SiC 1004.7 4148.9 0.0010106 0.6054
SiC 1011.2 4116.2 0.0010182 0.61083
SiC 1017.7 4084 0.0010259 0.61629
SiC 1024.1 4052.1 0.0010337 0.62178
SiC 1030.6 4020.7 0.0010416 0.62731
TiO2 1007.7 4139 0.0010106 0.6044
TiO2 1017.2 4096.9 0.0010182 0.60882
TiO2 1026.6 4055.5 0.0010259 0.61326
TiO2 1036.1 4014.8 0.0010337 0.61772
TiO2 1045.6 3974.9 0.0010416 0.62221
4.7 Boundary Conditions
For any problem related to fluid dynamics, there is a need of the boundary conditions for the system
under study. These boundary conditions are used to solve the governing equations and obtain
results. The following boundary conditions were given for the simulations: -
➢ Heat flux on base = 150,000 W/m2
➢ Velocity Inlet with varying fluid velocities
39
➢ Pressure Outlet = 1 atm
➢ Temperature at Inlet = 300 K
4.8 Residuals and Initialization
The residuals were set at 10-4 for the continuity equation. At 10-5 for the x, y, and z velocities, and
for k and ε, whereas a residual of 10-6 was taken for the energy equation. Due to these residuals
the continuity was loosely converged, the velocities, and k and ε moderately converged and the
energy was tightly converged. Hybrid initialization was carried out before the simulations were
run. The results for Base temperature, Nusselt number, and Heat transfer coefficient were
computed from ANSYS.
40
5 RESULTS
5.1 Heat sink
5.1.1 Different Fin Height and Base Thickness
Fig 5. 1: Temperature graph for Varying Fin Height
Fig 5. 2: Heat Transfer Coefficient graph for varying Fin Height
41
As can be observed from Fig 5.1, the base temperature decreases with increase in fin height due to
higher surface area of the heat sink being in contact with the fluid region. Another observation
made was for heat transfer coefficient increasing with fin height as shown by Fig 5.2, due to a
larger mass flow rate of the fluid passing through the heat sink as the fin height increases. For both
heat transfer coefficient and base temperature there was a significant change till the fin height of
25 mm was reached, however after reaching fin height of 25 mm the values became relatively
constant. Additionally, a base thickness of 2 mm gave the best results. Taking into account the
material savings it would provide, a heat sink with 25 mm fin height and 2 mm base thickness was
chosen for further study. For the chosen parameters the average base temperature was lowered to
348.83 K, and heat transfer coefficient came out to be 1480.5 W/m2K.
5.1.2 Different Fin Spacing and Fin Thickness
Fig 5. 3: Temperature Graph for varying Fin Spacing
41
Fig 5. 4: Heat transfer coefficient graph for varying Fin Spacing
Graphs plotted for the fin spacing against base temperature and heat transfer coefficient showed
an increase in the base temperature (Fig 5.3) and a decrease in the heat transfer coefficient (Fig
5.4) with increase in fin spacing. For heat sinks an optimal spacing exists based on their design
[3], at which heat transfer coefficient is maximum. In the range of fin spacings studied 10 mm fin
spacing gave highest heat transfer coefficient. As the fin thickness increased a larger amount of
height was able to be transferred from the base hence higher heat transfer coefficient and lower
base temperature. Copper fins were observed to perform better than aluminum fins owing to their
higher thermal conductivity. The finned heat sink design was finalized with 10 mm fin spacing
and 2 mm thick fins, in addition to the parameters finalized above. Copper was chosen as the heat
sink material. Using the chosen parameters, the average base temperature was further lowered to
338.8 K and the heat transfer coefficient was improved by 19.9 percent to 1775.4 W/m2/K.
42
5.2 Metal Foam
Fig 5. 5: Temperature graph for varying Porosity
Fig 5. 6: Nusselt Number graph for varying Porosity
43
Fig 5. 7: Pressure Drop graph for varying Porosity
Investigating the metal foam at different porosities revealed base temperature to increase with
porosity and decrease with pore density as shown by Fig 5.5. As the pore size increases with
increasing porosity, the thickness of the ligaments decrease for the metal foam hence lower amount
of conduction through metal foam to the fluid region. With increasing pore density there are a
larger number of pores through which flow mixing can take place and higher amount of turbulence,
hence lower base temperature. Due to the increase in pore size, a higher volume of fluid flows
through the pores increasing the convective heat transfer coefficient, and lowering the effective
thermal conductivity of the foam. hence the increase in Nusselt number, as shown by Fig 5.6.
Through adjustment of porosity and pore density, the average base temperature was lowered to
315.82 K. The Nusselt number showed an improvement of almost 182 percent. The increase in
pore size also lowers the pressure drop, with pressure drop for higher porosity and lower pore
density metal foam being much lower, as demonstrated by Fig 5.7. Copper due to its better thermal
44
properties gave better results than Aluminum. From the results obtained copper metal foam with
85 % porosity and 5 PPI was chosen.
5.3 Nanofluids
5.3.1 Different Concentration and Nanoparticles
Fig 5. 8: Heat Transfer Coefficient graph for varying Concentration
Fig 5. 9: Friction Factor graph for varying Concentration
45
As Fig 5.8 shows the heat transfer coefficient was observed to increase with the volumetric
concentration of the nanofluids, as the nanoparticles enhanced the thermal properties of the base
fluid (water) by increasing the effective thermal conductivity and lowering the effective specific
heat capacity. However, the nanoparticles also increased the effective density and effective
viscosity of the base fluid, hence the increase in the skin friction coefficient illustrated by Fig 5.9.
Nanofluid with copper nanoparticles gave the best results in term of heat transfer coefficient
however it also gave the highest skin friction coefficient. Taking into account the increase in
pumping power that could be caused, copper nanofluid at 0.9 percent volumetric concentration
was chosen. At this chosen concentration the heat transfer coefficient showed a nearly 23 percent
improvement.
5.3.2 Comparison with Water
Fig 5. 10: Nusselt Number graph for comparison with Water
46
Fig 5. 11: Pressure Drop graph for comparison with Water
Comparing the results for the chosen volumetric concentration for the nanofluid with water in
terms of the Nusselt number and pressure drop revealed that the nanofluid gave a higher Nusselt
number (Fig 5.10) than water for almost the same pressure drop (Fig 5.11). The flow rate of 0.525
LPM was chosen for the nanofluid as it was the minimum flow rate giving no back flow. At this
chosen flowrate an extra pumping power of only 3.34 percent was needed.
5.4 Contours of Best Results
The following temperature and pressure contours shown are for the simulation that gave the best
result for each case.
47
5.4.1 For different fin height and base thickness
Fig 5. 12: Temperature Contour for 25 mm Fin Height, 2 mm Base Thickness
Fig 5. 13: Pressure Contour for 25 mm Fin Height, 2 mm Base Thickness
Fig 5.12 and 5.13 are the temperature and pressure contours obtained for best fin height and base
thickness. The fins increase the surface area through which heat can be transferred from base to
the fluid. As the working fluid flows across the heat sink the temperature of the fins decrease, due
to heat transfer between the fins and working fluid. The temperature also decreases as fin height
increases, as larger height of fins provides a larger surface area. Fig 5.12 shows a fin height of 25
mm at which maximum amount of heat transfer was observed for the configuration. After this fin
height heat transfer enhancement diminished with increasing fin height as shown in Fig 5.2. The
maximum temperature of base observed for this configuration is 352.9 K, which is higher than
48
323 K, the maximum allowed temperature for safe microelectronics operation, hence further
enhancement in the heat sink was needed. The pressure drop across the heat sink shown in Fig
5.13 is due to friction between the solid and fluid surfaces. As the fluid flows across the heat sink
there is sticking to the walls due to viscosity of the fluid which results in energy loss. To have the
fluid flowing with constant velocity, the loss results in the pressure drop.
5.4.2 For different fin spacing and fin thickness
Fig 5. 14: Temperature Contour for 10 mm Fin Spacing, 2mm Fin Thickness, Copper Fins
Fig 5. 15: Pressure Contour for 10 mm Fin Spacing, 2mm Fin Thickness, Copper Fins
49
Comparing the results, it was found copper provided better results as heat sink material than
aluminum. Fig 5.14 and 5.15 show the temperature and pressure contours obtained for 2 mm thick
copper fins with 10 mm spacing. Through adjustment of the fin spacing and the fin thickness, the
temperature of the heat sink was further lowered to 341 K, showing a 12 K temperature drop for
the base. The base temperature as shown by Fig 5.14 was highest at the start of the heat sink. As
the fluid flowed across the heat sink heat was dissipated from the base and fins to the fluid which
made the fluid temperature rise and the heat sink temperature drop. The results obtained also
agreed with [6] who found optimum spacing at 12 mm fin spacing compared to 10 mm in this
study. Due to the change in geometry, there was a rise in pressure drop as shown in Fig 5.15 due
to increased channel length when the fin thickness increased.
5.4.3 For Metal Foam porosity and pore density
Fig 5. 16: Temperature Contour for 85 % Porosity, 5 PPI Copper Metal Foam
50
Fig 5. 17: Pressure Contour for 85 % Porosity, 5 PPI Copper Metal Foam
With the addition of metal foam to the heat sink there is a dramatic decrease in the temperature at
all points of the heat sink. Due to the metal foam the maximum temperature in the heatsink has
been lowered by almost 20 K, from 341 K to 321.1 K, as shown by Fig 5.16. The metal foam acts
as a heat exchanger by absorbing heat from base and transporting it through the ligaments,
effectively and efficiently due to the high conductivity of copper. Due to the turbulence caused in
the flow as the working fluid flows through the pores of the metal foam and its high surface area
in contact with the flow, a higher amount of heat gets absorbed by the fluid than would have with
finned heat sink alone. This leads to heat being dissipated at a faster rate and the heat sink achieving
a lower overall temperature. The temperature with the use of metal foam is lower than 323 K,
however the margin is small hence further enhancement can prove to be a good choice. The cellular
structure of the metal foam however also increased the pressure drop as shown by Fig 5.17. As the
working fluid passes through the pores, there is a high amount of mixing in the flow coming from
all the pores oriented in different directions. Due to mixing of flow, high amount of turbulence is
caused in the flow which increases losses through the heat sink. As mentioned above, to keep the
velocity of the flow constant, the losses are overcome in the form of loss of pressure head resulting
in pressure drop across the heat sink.
51
5.4.4 For different concentration and nanoparticles
Fig 5. 18: Temperature Contour for 0.9 % volumetric concentration Copper Nanofluid
Fig 5. 19: Pressure Contour for 0.9 % volumetric concentration Copper Nanofluid
As the last step of enhancement for the heat sink the working fluid, previously water, was replaced
with the nanofluids. The best results as mentioned above were obtained for copper nanofluid at a
concentration of 9 percent by volume and flow rate of 0.525 LPM. The temperature for this
configuration lowered the maximum base temperature to 314 K, providing a 9 K temperature drop
compared to water as shown by Fig 5.18. The nanofluid has superior thermal properties as
mentioned above, which results in a more effective transport of heat out of the heat sink by the
52
working fluid. The heat sink has its highest base temperature at the entrance, however as heat gets
dissipated from the base, the temperature lowers being lowest at the exit. The opposite happens
with the nanofluid as it has lowest temperature at the inlet, and as it absorbs heat the temperature
rises being highest at the outlet. The pressure drop across the heat sink shows an increase with the
velocity as Reynold’s number increases, which increases the shear stresses and skin friction with
the metal foam and finned heat sink. These results were found to be in agreement with [33]. As
shown by Fig 5.19 the back flow observed in previous cases is eliminated when the volume flow
rate reaches 0.525 LPM.
53
6 EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION
6.1 Comparison with Welsford et al.
(a) 0.3 percent concentration (b) 0.6 percent concentration
Fig 6. 1: Comparison with Welsford et al.
The numerical results for Aluminum metal foam with 90 percent porosity were compared with
those of [22] with alumina nanofluid of 0.3 percent volumetric concentration and 0.6 percent
volumetric concentration. The base temperature for both studies were plotted against the axial
position along the heat sink. Fig 6.1(a) shows the experimental and numerical results at 0.3 percent
volumetric concentration, the base temperature decreased slightly for the numerical results,
however a fluctuation was shown in the experimental results with base temperature first increasing
slightly before decreasing showing a relatively constant base temperature. Similarly in Fig 6.1(b)
at 0.6 percent volumetric concentration, the numerical results showed a slight decrease, whereas
experimental results showed a fluctuation around a constant value for the base temperature. As
can be seen from Fig 6.1(a) and (b) the numerical and experimental results were close in magnitude
54
with a maximum error of 18 percent for 0.3 percent volumetric concentration, and 10.2 percent for
0.6 percent volumetric concentration between experimental and numerical results, which are
within the limits of accuracy.
6.2 Comparison with Ghaziani and Hassanipour
(a) u= 0.01 m/s (b) u= 0.016 m/s
Fig 6. 2: Comparison with Ghaziani and Hassanipour
Another comparison made was for the Nusselt number with [18] at 0.01 m/s and 0.016 m/s velocity
at different heat fluxes. Aluminum foam with alumina nanofluid at 0.83 percent volumetric
concentration was used. Fig 6.2(a) shows Nusselt number for velocity of 0.01 m/s, for the
numerical results the Nusselt number showed an increase with increasing heat flux, however in
the experimental results there was an initial increase however after a heat flux of nearly 600 W/m2
the values became relatively constant with a small amount of fluctuation. Similarly Fig 6.2(b)
55
shows Nusselt number for a velocity of 0.016 m/s, the numerical results again showed an increase
in Nusselt number with increasing heat flux, and the experimental results a fluctuation with first
an increase till a heat flux 900 W/m2 followed by a decrease before becoming relatively constant.
Comparing the experimental and numerical results from Fig 6.2(a) and (b), it was found that the
error in the results was within the limits of accuracy with 11.15 percent error at 0.01 m/s velocity,
and 15.93 percent error at 0.016 m/s velocity.
56
7 ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND SUSTAINABILITY
The sustainable development goal number 9 i.e., Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure was
targeted. An innovative heat sink was developed by finding the best values of the parameters in
the range of study, and using their combination to develop the best design. The heat sink developed
has the potential to be used in industrial applications after sufficient testing namely in the field of
microelectronics cooling.
Another advantage the heat sink provides is, no material used in its design is harmful to the
environment, and the heat sink itself does not release any harmful substances during its operation
making it environmentally friendly. Copper being the main material used in the heat sink can be
recycled, to be used in the same or different applications.
57
8 CONCLUSION
Thermal management has become an essential step in the field of electronics cooling. Due to the
increasing performance requirements of these devices, the heat dissipated by them is leading to
overheating, and in worst case scenario, failure of these devices. Novel methods have become a
requirement. This project proposes one of such novel methods by finding the best parameters for
a heat sink which consists of a combination of fins, metal foam, and nanofluids through numerical
investigation.
The results of the investigation revealed the best fin height, fin spacing, base and fin thickness,
and material for the heat sink in the ranges investigated. Similarly, the porosity, pore density and
material for the metal foam, and concentration, velocity, and nanoparticle material found for the
nanofluids. The configuration giving best results had a base temperature of 314 K with a pressure
drop of 130 Pa. Metal foam has superior thermal properties compared to their solid metal
counterparts and due to pores provide flow mixing and turbulence, further enhancing the
performance of the finned heat sink. The addition of nanofluid provided further heat dissipation to
the arrangement, with the pressure drop and in turn the pumping power remaining relatively the
same.
An experimental validation was carried out to verify numerical results with experimental data from
literature. Upon comparison acceptable amounts of error were found between both methods. The
reason being that the model used for metal foam closely resembled actual structure used in the
experimental studies from literature.
58
9 FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS
In future we would recommend that the study be expanded by investigating the metal foam at a
larger range of porosities, pore densities, and for a larger range of materials. The thermal and
hydrodynamic properties of the metal foam are largely affected by porosity and pore density, and
small changes in their combinations can influence results. Another study that can be conducted
concerns the different models mentioned above. 3-D scanning provides the actual internal structure
of the foam, whereas the Lord Kelvin cell and repeated cell models closely resemble it. Comparing
results obtained from all three methods in a single study can prove to be beneficial.
Nanofluids investigated in this study were limited to concentrations from 0.3 to 1.5 percent
volumetric concentration, and for the five nanoparticles mentioned above. Studies can be
conducted to investigate the thermal performance of nanofluids in finned metal foam heat sinks
over a larger range of concentrations, for a larger variety of nanoparticles, including carbon
nanotubes, and for base fluids other than water.
The heat sink geometry can also be varied by using other types of fins like pin-fins, circular fins,
oblique fins. Different fin arrangements are another avenue of study with study conducted on effect
of in-line and staggered arrangements on heat transfer characteristics. Heat sinks of other materials
can also be investigated.
59
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THERMAL MANAGEMENT OF MICROELECTRONICS

DEVICES USING NANOFLUID WITH METAL FOAM HEAT

Muhammad Teham Tahir

Dr. Naseem Ahmad

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad

A thesis submitted to the

Institute of Space Technology

in partial fulfilment of the requirements

for the degree of Bachelor of Science in

Muhammad Teham Tahir

Dr. Naseem Ahmad

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Thermal Management of Microelectronics devices using Nanofluids

Muhammad Teham Tahir

APPROVED BY BOARD OF EXAMINERS

Dr. Naseem Ahmad

the data/results/materials reported in the manuscript and certify their correctness/authenticity. I

part or full in a manuscript already submitted or in the process of submission in partial/complete

procedures of the Institute.

(Dr. Naseem Ahmad)

within Pakistan or abroad.

plagiarized in their thesis work.

Muhammad Teham Tahir

plagiarism as per IST policy.

Dr. Naseem Ahmad

Verified By Plagiarism Cell Officer

without the permission of author(s).

effectively and efficiently.

1.1 Motivation ............................................................................................................................ 1

1.2 Overview .............................................................................................................................. 2

1.3 Research Objectives ............................................................................................................ 2

2.1.1 Microelectronic Devices ............................................................................................... 3

2.1.2 Thermal Management ................................................................................................. 3

2.1.3 Heat sink ....................................................................................................................... 4

2.1.4 Metal foam .................................................................................................................... 4

2.2 Previous work on Heat sink ............................................................................................... 6

2.3 Previous work on Metal Foam ........................................................................................... 7

2.4 Previous work on Nanofluids ........................................................................................... 11

2.5 Importance of Thermal Management ............................................................................. 15

2.6 Research Gap..................................................................................................................... 15

3.1 CAD Model of Heat sink .................................................................................................. 17

3.1.2 For different fin spacing and fin thickness .............................................................. 19

3.2 Numerical study of Heat sink ........................................................................................... 21

3.3 CAD Model for the Metal Foam ...................................................................................... 21

3.5 Analytical Calculations for Nanofluid............................................................................. 26

3.7 Experimental Validation and Compilation of Results ................................................... 27

4.1 Introduction to Software .................................................................................................. 28

4.3 Mesh ................................................................................................................................... 30

4.4 Mesh Independence Study................................................................................................ 30

4.5 Mesh Quality Tests............................................................................................................ 32

4.6 FLUENT Solver................................................................................................................. 33

4.6.1 Materials ..................................................................................................................... 34

4.6.2 Formulae Used............................................................................................................ 36

4.6.3 MATLAB Program .................................................................................................... 36

4.6.4 Nanofluid Properties .................................................................................................. 38

4.7 Boundary Conditions ........................................................................................................ 39