Topology Optimization of Manifold Microchannel Heat Sinks

The manifold microchannel (MMC) heat sink has been widely studied for liquid-cooling of power-dense electronic components. Conventionally, thermal-fluid performance of an MMC heat sink is analyzed via unit cell simulations and designed by varying the rectangular fin and channel geometries, namely size optimization. To further explore the performance potential of the MMC heat sink, this paper proposes topology optimization (TO) to design the optimal freeform fin/channel geometry to maximize heat transfer performance while minimizing the required pumping power. The heat transfer physics in an MMC heat sink is governed by conjugate heat transfer between an incompressible laminar fluid and a heated conductor. The MMC heat sink fin/channel geometry design is formulated as a material distribution problem in a periodic unit cell. Since TO describes the geometry non-parametrically, it facilitates innovative designs through the exploration of arbitrary shapes. The physics-governed design optimization problem is solved by mathematical programming using design sensitivities and an iterative gradient-based method. The thermal-fluid performance is presented for both conventional size optimization and the proposed TO approach, considering the heat transfer performance versus the required pumping power. It is demonstrated that the TO designed fin/channel geometries outperform those obtained through size optimization. Due to the shape complexity associated with the TO designed fin/channel geometries, they are not readily suitable for conventional manufacturing processes, e.g., machining and metal die-casting. However, such out-of-box designs fully exploit the flexibility offered by the latest advanced manufacturing processes, e.g., additive manufacturing and rapid investment casting.