Designing a Phase Change Material Heat Exchanger for Electronic Enclosures

This consultant is an expert in Phase Change Materials. Phase Change Materials (PCMs) have been considered for a number of heat transfer applications. Recently, research in the use of PCMs for electronic systems has increased due to the passive nature of these techniques. The use of passive cooling techniques has the advantage of low maintenance and high reliability. There are no moving parts or components to replace in many of the proposed systems.

Electronic enclosures are exposed to solar loads and thermal loads from the electronics they contain. In some instances, existing passive technologies are not able to remove the thermal load these enclosures experience in the afternoons. One possible solution is the use of a PCM heat exchanger as shown in figure 1.

Figure 1

This expert designed and analyzed the system through the use of spreadsheet calculations and detailed finite element analyses (FIDAP™). Results of the analyses are shown in figure 2 in terms of heat exchanger temperatures as a function of time for the heat exchanger. Note that the phase change material effectively acts like a constant temperature heat sink for the electronics within the enclosure.

Figure 2

Related References

Using Finned PCM Heat Exchangers on Electronic Enclosures.

Thermal Management of Outdoor Enclosures Using Phase Change Materials.

Thermal Management of Electronics Enclosures Under Unsteady Heating / Cooling Conditions using Phase Change Materials (PCM).

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