Work

Efficient Microchannel Cooling of Multiple Power Devices With Compact Flow Distribution for High Power-Density Converters

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: In this article, we describe a new approach for the compact and energy-efficient cooling of converters where multiple miniaturized microfluidic cold plates are attached to transistors providing local heat extraction. The high pressure drop associated with microchannels was minimized by connecting these cold plates in parallel using a compact three-dimensional-printed flow distribution manifold. We present the modeling, design, fabrication, and experimental evaluation of this microfluidic cooling system and provide a design strategy for achieving energy-efficient cooling with minimized pumping power. An integrated cooling system is experimentally demonstrated on a 2.5-kW switched-capacitor dc-dc converter, cooling down 20 GaN transistors. A thermal resistance of 0.2 K/W was measured at a flow rate of 1.2 mL/s and a pressure drop of 20 mbar, enabling the cooling of a total of 300 W of losses in the converter using several milliwatt of pumping power, which can be realized with small micropumps. Experimental results show a tenfold increase in power density compared with the conventional cooling, potentially up to 30 kW/L. This proposed cooling approach offers a new way of coengineering the cooling and the electronics together to achieve more compact and efficient power converters.

Source: IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics

DOI: 10.1109/tpel.2019.2959736

Authors: Remco van Erp, Georgios Kampitsis, Elison Matioli

Institution: École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

Language: English

Topic: Heat Transfer and Optimization

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: green

Funders: European Commission, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, European Research Council