A Computational Approach on Mitigation of Hotspots in a Microprocessor by Employing CNT Nanofluid in Bifurcated Microchannel

The present study discusses the numerical analysis of mitigating hotspots in a microprocessor by employing nanofluid composed of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and water in a bifurcated microchannel. Fully developed laminar flow with water for different multi-stage bifurcated plate configurations is used for the computational study along with the conventional microchannel without bifurcation to determine the best possible configuration of bifurcated microchannel where further numerical investigation is carried out with CNT-water nanofluid. Numerical investigations are performed to evaluate the Nusselt number, temperature distribution, thermal resistance, pumping power, and streamline distribution for Reynolds Numbers varying from 70 to 560. Among all the bifurcated microchannels, the two-stage bifurcated microchannel shows the best thermal-hydraulic performance. So, the two-stage bifurcated microchannel is numerically studied with CNT-water nanofluid by varying the concentration from 1 to 5% where the bottom wall temperature significantly decreases along with desired uniform temperature distribution of the surface. It has been found that the average Nusselt number for a two-stage bifurcated microchannel with 5% CNT-water nanofluid is 43.54% higher than that of a two-stage bifurcated microchannel with water. There is a 9% decrement in thermal resistance against a 5% enhancement in pumping power using 1% CNT-water as coolant compared to that with only water in a two-stage bifurcated microchannel. Additionally, the influence of flow rate on multi-stage bifurcated microchannel combined with hotspots and studies involving varying intensities of hotspots along with their position in the microchannel are investigated.

Automated summary

This study focuses on using nanofluid composed of carbon nanotubes (CNT) and water in a bifurcated microchannel to mitigate hotspots in a microprocessor. Numerical analysis is conducted to determine the optimal configuration of the bifurcated microchannel and investigate its thermal-hydraulic performance. It is found that a two-stage bifurcated microchannel with 5% CNT-water nanofluid shows a significant improvement in average Nusselt number and thermal resistance compared to a microchannel with only water. The study also examines the influence of flow rate and the position of hotspots in the microchannel.