Experimental Characterization of Two-Phase Cooling of Power Electronics in Thermosiphon and Forced Convection Modes

Abstract

In this paper, we present the results of an experimental study involving low thermal resistance cooling of high heat flux power electronics in a forced convection mode, as well as in a thermosiphon (buoyancy-driven) mode. The force-fed manifold microchannel cooling concept was utilized to substantially improve the cooling performance. In our design, the heat sink was integrated with the simulated heat source, through a single solder layer and substrate, thus reducing the total thermal resistance. The system was characterized and tested experimentally in two different configurations: the passive (buoyancy-driven) loop and the forced convection loop. Parametric studies were conducted to examine the role of different controlling parameters. It was demonstrated that the thermosiphon loop can handle heat fluxes in excess of 200 W/cm2 with a cooling thermal resistance of 0.225 (K cm2)/W for the novel cooling concept and moderate fluctuations in temperature. In the forced convection mode, a more uniform temperature distribution was achieved, while the heat removal performance was also substantially enhanced, with a corresponding heat flux capacity of up to 500 W/cm2 and a thermal resistance of 0.125 (K cm2)/W. A detailed characterization leading to these significant results, a comparison between the performance between the two configurations, and a flow visualization in both configurations are discussed in this paper.