Optimization of semi-interlocking heat sinks for hotspot thermal management using multi-objective genetic algorithm

Abstract A semi-interlocking heat sink that operates based on the effect of flow acceleration in a curved channel is proposed to mitigate local heat fluxes from power electronics. The proposed heat sink offers easy manufacturability owing to its simple structure. A computational fluid dynamics simulation is developed and validated experimentally. The simulation is conducted based on periodic boundary conditions. The design of experiment method and the Kriging meta-modeling are used to optimize the heat sink. Furthermore, a multi-objective genetic algorithm is used to minimize thermal resistance and pressure drop. Based on the optimization results, the thermal and hydraulic characteristics are analyzed according to geometric changes. The analysis shows that the proposed heat sink affords a 30.4%–34.7% lower thermal resistance than plate-finned heat sinks at the same pumping power.