Abstract
This study aims to investigate and optimize the thermal dissipation of a constant heat flux source by conducting a numerical analysis of four serpentine mini-channel heat sink configurations, each characterized by different inlet and outlet arrangements for the cooling fluid. The cooling system under study consists of an upper part made of ABS copolymer resin, incorporating the fluid inlets and outlets (water), and a lower part made of aluminum, which contains the serpentine mini-channel heat sink. The analyzed configurations included four cases: First: a single inlet and a single outlet, Second: two inlets and one outlet, Third: one inlet and two outlets, and Fourth: a variation of the third model with reversed inlet and outlet positions. Numerical simulations, performed using the finite volume method, cover a Reynolds number range from 200 to 600. The analysis focuses on flow behavior, temperature distributions, pressure drop, thermal resistance, the average Nusselt number and the performance evaluation factor (PEF). The results indicate that the configurations with two inlets and one outlet (Case 2) and the reversed inlet/outlet configuration (Case 4) significantly enhance cooling compared to the other configurations. However, the two-inlet, one-outlet case also results in a higher pressure drop. At a Reynolds number of 600, Case 2 achieves the best thermal performance with an average Nusselt number of 20.79 and a minimum thermal resistance of 0.228K/W, while Case 3 exhibits the lowest efficiency. These findings help identify optimal configurations for cooling high heat flux electronic components.