Conjugate heat transfer analysis of a thin liquid cooling heat sink using free software

Because of the increase of heat generation density and high-density packaging, the limits of air cooling are being reached and demand for liquid cooling systems for electronics is increasing. Utilization of CFD simulation for the optimized design of flow passages in various configurations is needed. In this study, for optimization of mini channel structure in liquid cooling, OpenFOAM is employed. OpenFOAM is an open-source CFD toolbox with various functions and high parallel computation efficiency. By using OpenFOAM, details of heat transfer and fluid transport in the mini channel are evaluated, and strategy of optimization of mini channel structure is discussed. We aim to validate a numerical model using this tool and experimental data, to investigate other configurations.