A hybrid thermal management phase change material based pin-fin heat sinks under forced convection

This study presents a novel hybrid thermal management system for electronic devices, specifically solar photovoltaics, which has been investigated experimentally. The hybrid system integrates pin-fin heat sinks with forced convection, utilizing varying airflow patterns to optimize cooling. The experimental analysis encompasses two different heat generation rates (5 & 10 W) to investigate the cooling effectiveness of the system. The comparative analysis is conducted with pin-fin heat sinks filled with and without Phase Change Material (PCM). Results indicate that neither forced convection alone nor PCM alone can efficiently manage high heat flux. However, combining PCM with pin-fin heat sinks significantly reduces temperatures within permissible ranges due to PCM's high heat-absorbing capacity and the pin-fin's high thermal conductivity. The system achieves maximum temperature reductions of 43.39 % and 61.29 % for 5 W and 10 W heat generation, respectively, using an axial flow with a square pin-fin design. The cross-flow configuration outperforms the reverse-flow pattern, demonstrating temperature drops of 40.80 % to 58.45 % compared to baseline case across the 5 W to 10 W heat generation range. Additionally, a consistent cooling rate trend is observed within the cavity as the heat generation increases, validating the reliability and efficiency of the designed thermal management system.