Advancing thermal management strategies: insights into convective heat transfer from solid/porous bodies in enclosures

Abstract

Electronic components serve as the building blocks of computers. In the current digital era, it has uses in almost every conceivable field, including aerospace, medical, defence, research institutions, and a wide range of businesses. Consequently, significant research projects are currently in progress. In order to optimise the usage of energy, the efficiency of electronics must be enhanced. Due to the miniaturisation of electrical devices, microchips are also stacked in a space-efficient manner. For these devices to operate properly, sufficient cooling is required. External fans are common, with light forced convection and additional buoyant effects. An adequate cooling mechanism must be built in order to decrease power consumption and maximise heat dissipation. The removal of excess heat through natural convective mode has been in great demand since decades. Thermal management is an important step for efficient working of machines in industries, especially electronic equipment. There are numerous techniques implemented for developing cooling methods. Enhancing the surface area of components improves its heat transfer process. Hence, the porous medium can be used for discharging heat at higher rates. The bank of electronic components stacked together in a pattern can also be considered as a permeable region. However, the experimental and computational research are performed for analysing the flow and thermal characteristics inside the cavity. In order to develop cooling methods with low cost, convection occurring naturally would be the first priority.