Experimental investigation of the effects of using nano/phase change materials (NPCM) as coolant of electronic chipsets, under free and forced convection

In this paper, an experimental investigation is performed to study the effects of using nano/phase-change-materials (NPCM) as coolant for an electronic chipset in various scenarios that include both free and forced convection. Development of efficient cooling methods in electronic technology is significant mainly for enhancement of functionality and lifetime of electronic devices. Six different scenarios of cooling systems are conducted for an electronic chipset under various values of heat flux. The cooling scenarios include simple heat-sink (referred to HS in this paper), heat-sink that contains a phase change material (HS/PCM), and heat-sink that contains NPCM (HS/NPCM) in both free and forced convection. The PCM used in this study, Mn(NO3)2, is an inorganic salt-hydrate type; and the selected nanoparticles are Fe3O4 dispersed in the PCM by an ultrasound mechanism by a weight fraction of 1%. The steady and transient thermal behavior of the electronic chipset are investigated under different operating conditions by applying various heat fluxes from 1000 to 4000 W/m2. Results show that presence of the PCM and NPCM can decrease the steady temperature of the chipset up to 14 °C and 10.5 °C compared to that of the HS for both free and forced convection, respectively. Furthermore, it is observed that the HS/PCM has better cooling and time efficiency for longer period usage whereas the HS/NPCM is preferable in temporary and intermittent use.