Characterizing the thermal performance of a flow through electronics module (SEM-E format) using a porous media model

The fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics of a SEM-E electronics cooling module were simulated numerically by representing the internal offset fin structure with a Brinkman-Forchheimer-extended Darcy porous media model. A simplified mock-up of the module was constructed and operated through a range of flow rates (0.003-0.013 kg/s) and heat loads (100-200 W). The experimental set-up provided internal pressure drop data for use in the numerical model as well as discrete temperature measurements for validation of the computational results. The model closely captured the qualitative nature of the flow field and generally displayed good quantitative agreement with the measured temperature profile.