HIGH-FLUX EVAPORATIVE MINI-CHANNEL HEAT SINK WITH AXIAL CAPILLARY GROOVES

A mathematical model of a flat miniature evaporator with axial grooves on the inner walls and forced, co-current, separated flows of vapor a nd liquid is developed. The predicted performance characteristics, suc h as the maximum heat flux, effective length, pressure drop across the evaporator, mass flow rate, and axial distribution of the mean temper ature of the wall, are presented for a copper-water heat sink. The res ults suggest that the 2.6 mm thick heat sink with an effective length of 80 mm is capable of withstanding heat fluxes of at least 65 W/cm(2) on both side walls while operating in the purely evaporative mode wit h a comparatively small pressure drop and low thermal resistance. The proposed heat sink can be used in cooling systems for electronic compo nents.