RII Track4: FAST Heat Transfer Enhancement of Cold Plates using Vortex Generators

科技的飞速发展使得电子产品的性能越来越高，尺寸越来越小。随着电路密度的提高和工作频率的提高，更多的热量被电子器件散发出去。由于耗散量的大幅增加，传统的散热系统采用散热器和风扇往往不足以使现代电子设备保持在工作温度范围内。因此，这项研究是由开发一种先进的热管理系统的需求驱动的，以充分消除散失的热量，并保持电子器件低于工作温度，以获得更好的性能和高可靠性。通过与NASA约翰逊航天中心的合作，该项目将设计和开发一种先进的冷板热交换器。这一发展将导致通过使用涡流发生器（VGs）更有效地去除热量的能力，特别是对于人类航天器中的电子设备。当在冷板中实现更好的液体冷却时，它可以导致显着的节能以及设备尺寸和重量的减少。最终，这项研究可以支持下一代航天器电子设备热管理系统的设计、开发和实施。冷板有由金属壁围起来的液体冷却剂流动通道。在流道中使用涡发生器（VGs）具有增强传热的巨大潜力，同时最大限度地减少了重量和压降损失。因此，本研究的目的是为了证明微尺度VGs诱导的多尺度涡旋结构能够在冷板中更高效地传递和传递热能。具体而言，该研究项目将包括1)开发一种使用多个微型vgs的先进冷板换热器，2)研究微型vgs诱导的涡结构对对流换热的影响，以及3)优化液体冷却剂流动通道，特别是在载人航天器的冷板上。预计由微涡诱导的涡旋流动将破坏液力/热边界层，并将促进流动的不稳定性和二次相干结构的形成，从而控制中观和微观混合机制。对于热分析，流体温度，热效率，努塞尔数，对流传热系数将进行实验评估。冷板的局部表面温度分布也将使用红外热像仪进行测量。进一步，根据实验结果对冷却剂流道结构进行调整，以达到均匀的温度分布，减少局部集中的热点。最终，该研究项目的成功将导致冷板的热性能的提高，从而减少设备的尺寸/重量和节省能源。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The rapid development of technology has resulted in higher performance and smaller size in electronics. With the improvement of circuit density and faster operating frequency, more heat is dissipated by the electronics. Due to the considerable increase in heat dissipation, traditional heat removal system employing heat sink and fan often becomes insufficient for the modern electronics to maintain within the operating temperature. Therefore, this research is driven by the need to develop an advanced thermal management system to remove the dissipated heat sufficiently and maintain the electronics below the operating temperature for better performance and high reliability. Through the collaboration with the NASA Johnson Space Center, an advanced cold plate heat exchanger will be designed and developed in this project. This development will result in the ability to remove heat more efficiently and effectively by using vortex generators (VGs), especially for the electronics in human spacecraft. When better liquid cooling in cold plates is achieved, it can lead to significant energy savings as well as the reduction of the equipment size and weight. Eventually, this research can support the design, development, and implementation of the next generation of thermal management systems for the electronics in spacecraft applications. Cold plates have liquid coolant flow passages bounded by metallic walls. The use of vortex generators (VGs) in the flow passages has a great potential to enhance heat transfer while minimizing the weight and pressure drop penalties. Therefore, the objective of this research is to show that the multiscale vortex structures induced by microscale VGs can transfer and transport thermal energy more efficiently and effectively in cold plates. Specifically, this research project will include 1) development of an advanced cold plate heat exchanger using multiple micro-VGs, 2) investigation of the effects of the vortical structures induced by micro-VGs on convective heat transfer, and 3) optimization of the liquid coolant flow passages with specific emphasis on cold plates in human spacecraft. It is expected that the vortical flows induced by micro-VGs will disrupt the hydraulic/thermal boundary layers and will promote the flow instabilities and the formation of secondary coherent structures that govern meso- and micro-mixing mechanisms. For thermal analysis, fluid temperature, thermal efficiency, Nusselt number, and convection heat transfer coefficient will be evaluated experimentally. The local surface temperature distributions of the cold plate will also be measured using infrared (IR) thermography. Furthermore, the coolant flow passage configurations will be modified based on the experimental results to achieve the uniform temperature distributions reducing the locally concentrated heat spots. Eventually, success of this research project will lead to the thermal performance enhancement of cold plates, thereby reducing of the equipment size/weight and saving energy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.