Influence of an aspect ratio of rectangular channel on the cooling performance of a multichip module

Experiments were performed by using PF-5060 and water to investigate the influence of an aspect ratio of a horizontal rectangular channel on the cooling characteristics from an in-line 6×1 array of discrete heat sources which were flush mounted on the top wall of the channel. The experimental parameters were aspect ratio of rectangular channel, heat flux of simulated VLSI chip, and channel Reynolds number. The chip surface temperatures decreased with the aspect ratio at the first and sixth rows, and decreased more rapidly at a high heat flux than at a low heat flux. The measured friction factors at each aspect ratio for both water and PF-5060 gave a good agreement with the values predicted by the modified Blasius equation within ±7%. The Nusselt number increased as the aspect ratio decreased, but the increasing rate of Nusselt number reduced as the aspect ratio decreased. A 5∶1 rectangular channel yields the most efficient cooling performance when the heat transfer and pressure drop in the test section were considered simultaneously.