Thermal Management of Electrical and Electronic Systems Using PCM

The present experimental research investigates transient thermal performance of a PCM-based thermal management system for cooling electronics components. The proposed system consists of a heatsink that is submerged into Rubitherm (RT-18) for melting experiments. The heat sink has a total length of 10cm, a width of 5cm and a height of 13cm. The heat sink contains 4 vertical copper heat pipes and 34 horizontal aluminum fins. The proposed system is insulated from all sides except the front wall for periodic visualization pictures, and it is exposed to a constant heat flux boundary condition from the top with a 1-inch2 Omega heat flux heater with a wattage density of 10 W/in2 at 100V. The PCM is heated from 0°C to about 51°C. The visualization results as well as the temperature distribution are discussed. Primarily, the results show that the melting process of the PCM manages the temperature of the heatsink and the base at which the heater is attached due to the high heat storage capacity of the PCM.