Int. J. Nanosci. Nanotechnol., Vol. 11, No. 1, March 2015, pp.

33-38

Effect of Using Nano Encapsulated Phase Change

Material on Thermal Performance of Micro Heat Sink

S. Sabbaghi* and S. Mehravar

Faculty of Advanced Technologies, Dep. of Nano Chemical Eng., Shiraz University, Shiraz, I.R.Iran

(*) Corresponding author: [email protected]

(Received: 07 June 2014 and Accepted: 18 Jan. 2015)

Abstract:
The aim of this paper is to enhance thermal performance of a microchannel heat sink by using nano-
encapsulated phase change material (NEPCM) slurry as a cooling fluid instead of pure fluid. A three-
dimensional model of a circular channel using water slurry of NEPCM was developed. The results
show a significant reduction in the mean fluid temperature along the channel and heat sink wall
temperature under certain conditions for heat flux rates that depend on the NEPCM-slurry volume
fraction and slurry inlet velocity. Lower temperatures across the electronic device can be attained at
high heat flux compared with using water as the only cooling fluid.
Keywords: Heat sink, Latent heat, NEPCM-slurry, Phase change material.

transfer efficiency of the thermal storage

1. INTRODUCTION system can be improved. Goel et al. [7]
experimentally studied the convective heat
One of the effective approaches of advanced transfer performance for different MEPCM
energy technologies to preserve available slurries (0–25%) volume fraction in a circular
energy and improve its applications is the use tube. They observed that MEPCM-slurry
of a latent heat storage system utilizing heat influenced by Stefan number and the
storage material or phase change materials volumetric concentration considerably reduces
(PCMs). The heat storage materials have the the wall temperature rise up to 50% compared
ability to alter the status with the small with water. Kondle et al. [8] studied heat
temperature range. The energy can be transfer characteristics of PCM-slurry flow
absorbed or released when the materials in microchannel with three different
temperatures overpass the phase change boundary conditions. They found that the
temperature during melting and solidifying Nusselt number increases according to
processes respectively [1-4]. It is necessary for aspect ratio of the channel. The forced
the latent heat energy storage to have a PCM
convective heat transfer has been analyzed
with high thermal conductivity because the
numerically in rectangular and circular
rate of energy release and storage of the PCM
can be hindered with low thermal microchannel, two dimensionally. Yu et al.
conductivity. Progresses in nanotechnology [9] experimentally studied the MEPCM
field have resulted in developments of new convective heat transfer with an average
methods for improving thermal conductivity of diameter of 4.97 μm in 0-20% volume fraction
PCMs including dispersing high thermal in rectangular minichannel. They understood
conductive nanoparticles in PCM [5, 6] and that in lower wall temperature, the 5% slurry
nano-encapsulating PCM. Therefore, heat has a better influence on cooling performance
than water and heat transfer coefficient has

33
been improved. In some of these works, the b) NEPCM-slurry thermophysical
micro-encapsulated phase change material properties are temperature dependent.
(MEPCM-slurry) was used as the cooling c) The heat sink is made of aluminum with
fluid. In the present study, the melting constant properties.
performance of a PCM in NEPCM-slurry in d) The external walls of channels are
the circular micro-heat sink is studied three thermally insulated.
dimensionally. e) All of the chip power dissipation is
transferred to the coolant, with a
2. METHODS uniform surface heat flux although
2.1. Microchannel Heat Sink radiation heat transfer is ignored.
f) Gravitational and external body forces
A common approach for cooling computer are not considered.
chips with high performance is to join the chip
to a circular microchannal heat sink. During 2.1.1. The Governing Equations
operation, a chip generates a uniform heat flux
at its interface with heat sink, while a fluid Continuity
coolant (NEPCM slurry) is flown through the .( U )  0 (1)
channels. A chip and a heat sink are U  ui  vj  wk (2)
considered each 10×5.1 mm on a side as show
Momentum
in Figure 1. Heat sink meshed shows in Figure
 (U .)U 
2. The fluid is supplied in the inlet
2 (3)
temperature, heat flux and inlet velocity equals .[ p   (U  (U )T )   (.U )]  F
to 298 k, 1W and 2m/s respectively. 3
Energy
cpU .T  .(kT )  q (4)

where F is external body forces (F=0) and q is

the volumetric heat source.
The latent heat of the slurry content is
considered as a function of the PCM latent
heat (L), liquid fraction (β) and NEPCM mass
fraction (ø).
H  L (5)

Figure 1. a) Geometry of the microchannel heat The liquid fraction is defined as the mass
sink, b) The heat sink front view, c) heat sink ratio of melted PCM to the total mass of PCM
modeled in the fluid. The PCM melting range is from
Tsolidus to Tliquidus. Therefore β is described by
Equation (6).

 0 if T  Tsolidus

 1 if T  Tliquidus
Figure 2. Heat sink meshed
T  Tsolidus
 if Tsolidus  T  Tliquidus
Following assumptions are made: Tliquidus  Tsolidus
a) The flow is laminar, steady state and
incompressible with negligible viscous (6)
The heat capacity of slurry is estimated by
dissipation.

34 Sabbaghi and Mehravar

Equation (7). J/g. Equations 9-11 define the specific heat,
T thermal conductivity and density of
c pf   c p dT  H (7) nanocapsules [7].
Tref
(7cp c  3cp sh ) c sh
Equation 8 measures the energy equation in cp np  (9)
the solid material. (3c  7 sh )  np
.(ksTs )  0 (8) 1 1 d  dc
  np (10)
knpd np kc d c ksh d npdc
2.1.2. Numerical Method
10 d c 3
The governing equations including continuity,  np  ( ) c (11)
7 d np
energy and momentum are basic equations.
Therefore, they are used to solve the heat
Equations 12-15 define the viscosity [7],
transfer and the fluid motion. For discretizing
thermal conductivity [13], density and specific
the basic equations COMSOL multiphysics
heat [14] of NEPCM-slurry.
software with the finite element method
(FEM) is used. In addition, SIMPLE
f  w (1  c  1.16c2 )2.5 (12)
algorithm is used to couple the pressure and 2kw  knp  2c(knp  k w )
kf  (13)
velocity fields and iterative solver is used to k k
2  np  c( np  1)
solve nonlinear equations. Thus, successive kw kw
over-under relaxation method is used.
f  cnp  (1  c) w (14)

2.2. NEPCM-slurry cp f  cp np  (1   )cp w (15)

cp np
In the present study, NEPCM-slurry is  (16)
 w  c(  np   w )
analyzed mathematically with the octadecane
core and styrene shell whose proportion equals
to 2 and the PCM diameter equals to 167 nm where  is the mass fraction of NEPCM.
according to [10]. The thermophysical
properties of water, octadecane and styrene are 3. RESULT AND DISCUSSION
shown in Table 1. The NEPCM water slurry is
analyzed with volume fraction of 5, 10, 15 and To check the correctness of present numerical
20% and the PCM latent heat equals to 244 model, confirmation is made by comparing the

Table 1. The thermophysical properties of NEPCM-slurry [11, 12].

Octadecane Polystyrene Water
Density 1050 838.466+1.40T-0.003T2+3.718  10-7T3
(kg/ m3)
Specific heat 2100 1270 12010.147-80.407T+0.3T2-5.38  10-4T3
(J/ kg.K)
Thermal 0.358 if T  Tsolidus 0.033 -0.869+0.009T-1.584  10-5T2+7.975
conductivity  10-9T3
(W /m.K) 0.148 if T  Tliquidus
Viscosity - - 1.38-0.021T+1.360  10-4T2-4.645  10-7
(Pa.s)  T3
Tliquidus 302 - -

Tsolidus 299 - -

International Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology 35

present numerical results with the available
literature data. The model geometry presented is a
rectangular microchannel heat sink [9]. The heat
sink solid material is aluminum.
The thermal boundary condition is a constant
heat flux of 100 W/cm2 performing at the bottom
wall of heat sink. The inlet velocity is 1 m/s and
the inlet temperature equals to 300 K and the
melting range of 300-305 K is used for PCM.
Figure 3 compares the mean flow temperature for
PCM slurry with volume fraction of 15% and the
same condition used in the mentioned study. The Figure 4. Mean flow temperature in different volume
figure illustrates that the agreement between results fraction of NEPCM-slurry Vin= 2 m/s, q"= 1 W.
of present model and the mentioned is acceptable.
3.2. Thermal Conductivity

Equation 18 calculates the thermal conductivity

enhancement factor ( k r ).
kf  kc
kr  (18)
kc

where kf and kc are thermal conductivity of

NEPCM-slurry and PCM respectively. Figure 5
shows the kr for NEPCM-slurry volume fraction of
20% versus channel length. As shown in the result
there is the improvement of NEPCM-slurry
Figure 3. Comparison of present model to the result
reported in [9].
thermal conductivity in comparison to the thermal
conductivity of PCM. Therefore, nano-
encapculating PCM is a method to enhance their
3.1. Mean Flow Temperature
thermal conductivity. The modification percentage
of thermal conductivity resulted from NEPCM-
The mean flow temperature along the channel for
slurry as a cooling fluid in contrast with PCM for
0% (pure water), 5, 10, 15 and 20% volume
volume fraction of 20% is 30%.
fraction of NEPCM are shown in Figure 4. As the
results show with increasing volume fraction of
NEPCM the mean fluid temperature is reduced. 3.3. Inlet Velocity (Vin)
Also, for all volume fractions of NEPCM the mean
flow temperature rises nonlinearly at the entrance Figure 6 shows the temperature of NEPCM-
of channel and continues linearly to the channel slurry at 20% versus the channel in various
exit. Using slurry in a higher volume fraction inlet velocities. Since Reynolds number
results in lower fluid temperature due to higher changes with volume fraction of NEPCM-
latent heat of PCM ratio. It should be noted that the slurry as a result of alteration in slurry
slurry flow is considered to be Newtonian provided viscosity, instead of Reynolds number the inlet
that the volume fraction of the NEPCM particle is velocity is investigated. According to the
less than 25% [15] that is why the slurry with results, fluid temperature rise decreases with
volume fraction of 20% is used in the present
increasing the inlet velocity. Latent heat and
research. Equation 17 describes the mean flow
thermal conductivity of PCM are more
temperature.
effective at high velocity.
Tm 

Ac
vcpTdAc
(17)

Ac
vcp dAc

36 Sabbaghi and Mehravar

 Figure 5. Thermal conductivity enhancement factor, Figure 7. Mean flow temperature in different heat fluxes
c=20%, Vin= 2 m/s, q"= 1 W. for c=20%, Vin=2 m/s, q"=1 W.

3.5. Wall Material

The influence of solid materials (Cu, Al and Steel

AISI 4340) on the temperature of the heat sink of
top wall with slurry volume fraction of 20% is
shown in Figure 8. Referring to the results,
utilizing materials with higher thermal
conductivity will reduce the wall temperature.
Furthermore, the heat conduction of the channel
walls is affected by these materials and
subsequently the PCM melting process along the
Figure 6. Mean flow temperature in different inlet microchannel is influenced (material properties are
velocities for c= 20%, q"=1 W. shown in Table 2).

3.4. Heat Flux (q'')

The effect of increasing heat flux with different

values of 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5W on the mean flow
temperature (NEPCM-slurry with volume fraction
of 20%) is shown in Figure 7. The results show
that the increase in heat flux leads to the increase
of the temperature. By comparing these results it
can be seen that the heat sink has a weak thermal
performance in heat flux of 5W. Nevertheless, it
has approximately the same temperature rise in
contrast with using water in heat flux higher than Figure 8. Effect of heat sink material on wall
5W. Figure 4 illustrates it. It shows pure water temperature for c= 20%, Vin=2 m/s, q"=1 W.
temperature in heat flux of 1W is 363K and
according to Figure 7 the temperature of NEPCM- Table 2. The physical properties of solid material [16].
slurry with volume fraction of 20% is about 362 K
Al Cu Steel AISI
in heat flux of 5W. 4340
Density(kg/m) 2700 8700 7850
Specific heat (J/kg.K) 904 385 475
Thermal conductivity 237 400 44.5
(W/m.K)

International Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology 37

4. CONCLUSIONS ρ GREEK LETTERS
density (kg/m3)
- In order to do thermal management for an µ dynamic viscosity (kg/m s)
electronic device with high heat dissipation, the c SUBSCRIPTS
PCM
high heat flux ability of microchannels is joined
f Fluid
with the large latent heat of PCM to attain high sh Polymer
heat flux with little temperature alteration. np nanoparticle (polymer and PCM)
- Using NEPCM-slurry instead of pure water w Water
decreases the heat sink temperature, and with in Inl
increasing the slurry volume fraction lower s heat sink solid
temperature rise is observed.
- PCM thermal conductivity is enhanced around REFERENCES
30% by using nano-encapsulation of PCM with
volume fraction of 20%. Thus, modifying 1. G. Sun and Z. Zhang: Int. J. Pharmaceutics., Vol.
thermal conductivity is one of the most 242, (2002), pp. 307-311.
important reasons for choosing this fluid. 2. S. Mondal: Applied Therm. Eng., Vol. 28, No. 11-
- Increasing the slurry inlet velocity and decreasing 12, (2008), pp. 1536-1550.
3. N. Zhu, Z. Ma and S. Wang: Energy Convers
heat flux cause reduction of fluid temperature rise.
Manage., Vol. 50, No. 12, (2009), pp. 3169-3181.
In comparison to pure water for the same
4. M. Kenisarin and K. Mahkamov: Renewable and
temperature of the heat sink the slurry can be used Sus-tainable Energy Reviews., Vol. 11, No. 9,
in higher heat flux and lower inlet velocity. (2007), pp. 1913- 1965.
- The wall temperature will be reduced 5. J. Fan and L. Q. Wang: J. Heat Trans., Vol. 133, No.
significantly by using higher conductive metals 4, (2011).
such as Cu. 6. L. Godson, B. Raja, D.M. Lal, and S. Wongwises:
Sustain. Energy Rev., Vol. 14, No. 2, (2010), pp.
NOMENCLATURE 629.
7. M. Goel, S.K. Roy and S. Sengupta: Heat and Mass
Trans., Vol. 37, No. 4, (1994), pp. 593 - 604.
Ac Channel cross-sectional area (m2) 8. S. Kondle, J.L. Alvarado and C. Marsh: J. Heat
c NEPCM volume fractio Trans., Vol. 135, (2013), p. 052801-1.
cp specific heat capacity (J/ kg K)
9. R. Sabbah, M.M. Farid and S. Al-Hallaj: Applied
dc PCM particle diameter (m) Therm. Eng., Vol. 29, (2008), pp 445–454.
dnp nanoparticle (polymer and PCM) 10. Z. Dong and L. Shuo: School of materials sci. and
diameter (m) eng., Tongji University, Siping Road 1239,
k thermal conductivity (W/m K) Shanghai, 200092, China (2010).
L NEPCM latent heat (J/ kg) 11. B.S. Hemingway and R.A. Robie: U.S. Geological
p Pressure (Pa) Survey., J. USGS Open-file Report 94-671. (1994).
q’’ heat flux at the channel walls (W) 12. B. Zalba, J.M. Marın, L.F. Cabeza and H. Mehling:
Tliquidus end temperature of NEPCM Applied Therm. Eng., Vol. 23, (2003), p. 251–283.
melting (K) 13. J.C. Maxwell: A Treatise on Electricity and
T mean flow temperature (K) Magnetism, Oxford University, (1881), in Press.
Ts heat sink solid temperature (K) 14. J. Lee and I. Mudawar: Int. J. Heat and Mass Trans.,
Tsolidus start temperature of NEPCM Vol. 50, (2007), pp. 452–463.
melting (K) 15. P. Charunyakorn, S. Sengupta and S.K. Roy: Int. J.
V Velocity Heat and Mass Trans., Vol. 34 No. 3, (1991), pp.
u fluid x-component velocity (m/s) 819–833.
v fluid y-component velocity (m/s) 16. Library of COMSOL Multiphysics 4.3a.
w fluid z-component velocity (m/s)

38 Sabbaghi and Mehravar