Optimization of semi-interlocking heat sinks for hotspot thermal management using multi-objective genetic algorithm

A semi-interlocking heat sink that operates based on the effect of flow acceleration in a curved channel is proposed to mitigate local heat fluxes from power electronics. The proposed heat sink offers easy manufacturability owing to its simple structure. A computational fluid dynamics simulation is developed and validated experimentally. The simulation is conducted based on periodic boundary conditions. The design of experiment method and the Kriging meta-modeling are used to optimize the heat sink. Furthermore, a multi-objective genetic algorithm is used to minimize thermal resistance and pressure drop. Based on the optimization results, the thermal and hydraulic characteristics are analyzed according to geometric changes. The analysis shows that the proposed heat sink affords a 30.4%-34.7% lower thermal resistance than plate-finned heat sinks at the same pumping power. (C) 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

This paper proposes a semi-interlocking heat sink that uses the effect of flow acceleration in a curved channel to mitigate local heat fluxes from power electronics. The heat sink has a simple structure and is easy to manufacture. Computational fluid dynamics simulation is used to validate and optimize the heat sink. The results show that the proposed heat sink offers a 30.4%-34.7% lower thermal resistance compared to plate-finned heat sinks at the same pumping power.