Header design approaches for mini-channel heatsinks using analytical and numerical methods

Flow misdistribution that severely affects the thermal and hydraulic performance of heatsinks is caused by inefficient shapes of collector and distributor headers. In the current study, an analytical model has been developed and tested numerically ensuring uniform flow distribution of coolant within the heatsink channels while keeping the distributor and collector header sizes minimum. The mathematical model was coded in Matlab and effects of the different geometric parameters on pressure drop in the header and on the size of the header have been reported. Proposed header shapes for different configurations of channel geometry were tested numerically using a commercial code ANSYS-CFX. Moreover, the thermal and hydraulic performance of the heatsink with proposed header geometries has been reported for different configurations of channel geometries. Also, with the intention of estimating the effectiveness of the header design, thermal and hydraulic performance of heatsinks with optimized headers were also compared with the performance of the heatsinks with conventional header designs. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.