Microscale thermal management using membrane vapor extraction

With the miniaturization of microelectronics and increase of processor speeds in the last few decades, thermal management is drastically affecting overall packaging and system capabilities. Due to the special needs introduced, research focusing on microscale cooling has increased. This study combines the positive characteristics of single- and two-phase flows in branching microchannels by locally extracting the generated vapor. A test fixture and test flow loop were designed and fabricated with which to experimentally assess the thesis statement of the project. Using water as the working fluid, preliminary data were gathered for inlet flow rates ranging between 2 and 10 g/min and vapor extraction pressure differentials ranging between 14 and 48 kPa. The inlet flow was 2 to 3 °C below the saturation temperature (subcooled) with a constant energy input of 8.5 W. In the preliminary tests, vapor was extracted from the two-phase flow. Although the preliminary results indicate the need for further improvements in the test fixture, flow loop and testing procedure, the initial trends support the thesis statement and suggest the need for further testing. After improvements are made, additional data will be collected and correlations will be generated