Topology optimization for microchannel heat sinks with nanofluids using an Eulerian-Eulerian approach

Abstract

The demand for high-performance heat sinks has significantly increased with advancements in computing power and the miniaturization of electronic devices. Among the promising solutions, nanofluids have attracted considerable attention due to their superior thermal conductivity. However, designing a flow field that effectively utilizes nanofluids remains a challenge due to the complex interactions between fluid and nanoparticles. In this study, we propose a density-based topology optimization method for microchannel heat sink design using nanofluids. An Eulerian-Eulerian framework is utilized to simulate the behavior of nanofluids, and the optimization problem aims to maximize heat transfer performance under a fixed pressure drop. In numerical examples, we investigate the dependence of the optimized configuration on various parameters and apply the method to the design of a manifold microchannel heat sink. The parametric study reveals that the number of flow branches increases with increasing pressure drop and decreasing particle volume fraction. In the heat sink design, the topology-optimized flow field achieves an 11.4% improvement in heat transfer performance compared to a conventional parallel flow field under identical nanofluid conditions. The numerical investigations indicate this improvement increases with higher pressure drops and volumetric heat generation rates.