Experimental and Thermal Network Study on the Performance of a Pins Studded Phase Change Material in Electronic Device Cooling

Abstract

This paper describes the results of experimental and analytical work on a phase-change-material(PCM)-based transient cooling module. The module is made of low-cost materials, yet it is designed to achieve a reasonably high level of heat transfer performance. Paraffin is used as PCM, and it fills the space studded with metallic pin fins. We measured transient temperature rises at several spots of the module. Also, the effects of the dimensional parameters of the pin fins on the heat dissipation performance were investigated. The measured temperatures explicitly reflect the thermal absorption effect of PCM. Analytical work is conducted using a thermal network model where equivalent thermal capacitance are attached to the nodes of the network. The model is validated by the experimental observations, and the simulation code is expected to serve as an efficient analytical tool in the design of PCM-based cooling modules.