Performance evaluation of a hybrid cooling system for electronic chips

This study develops a hybrid cooling system that combines the advantages of a liquid cooling system and a vapor compression refrigeration system (VCRS). This hybrid cooling system uses Al2O3/water nanofluid and hydrocarbon refrigerant as the working liquid and VCRS cooling for the CPU. A heating module was used to simulate the heat of the CPU at different power levels. The surface temperature of the heating module and pumping power consumption under various experimental parameters were measured to assess the performance and feasibility of the hybrid cooling system. Experimental results show that the maximum cooling capacities of the liquid, VCRS, and hybrid cooling systems are 450 W, 270 W, and 540 W, respectively. Using Al2O3/water nanofluid instead of distilled water in liquid cooling system leads to greater heat dissipation performance, greater power consumption for the water pump, and a lower surface temperature on the heater. In addition to cooling electronic chips, the hybrid cooling system can be used in other heat dissipation applications involving high-heat components to increase system performance and extend the lifetime of the apparatus or equipment.

► We develop a hybrid cooling system that combines a liquid cooling system and VCRS. ► The hybrid cooling system uses Al2O3/water for liquid cooling. ► The hybrid cooling system uses HC refrigerant for VCRS. ► Al2O3/water nanofluid has superior heat dissipation performance for liquid cooling. ► Maximum cooling capacities of hybrid cooling systems is 540 W.