The purpose of this research is to explore the feasibility of microdroplet spray as a cooling method for electronic components in data centers. Conventional cooling methods in data centers, such as air or liquid cooling, may not be as effective as directly spraying components with microscopic amounts of liquid. Spray cooling is one of the most effective ways to remove heat; however, the lack of control of the spray rate can cause dry-out or excessive liquid accumulation. These issues occur if the spray rate is too low (causes a dry spot in the middle of the spray cone) or too high (causes a liquid puddle). This project aims to develop a pulsing control for the spray rate to maintain a desired surface temperature while mitigating those issues. Our research group has previously explored the impact of single microdroplets on a heated surface to measure the evaporation rate at different impact conditions and surface temperatures. A heated surface using an aluminum block with inserted type-K thermocouples was designed to measure temperature spatially at different radial and axial locations. A LabJack T7 was used to record all the thermocouple data simultaneously. A low-flow nozzle and a water pump were utilized to spray water on the heated surface. A hot plate was used to heat the aluminum block from the bottom. The evaporation rate data from single microdroplet impact research was used to approximate the pulse width and frequency. The initial surface temperature, nozzle flow rate, pulse width, and frequency were independently varied, while the instantaneous surface temperature was monitored carefully. It was observed that the pulse width and frequency highly depended on the initial surface temperature and the nozzle flow rate. Higher flow rates at lower temperatures required a small width at a low frequency.
Effective use of spray cooling in high-heat flux electronics
Category
Mentor-Led Abstract Submission