Partitioned design strategy-based topology optimization of manifold microchannels incorporating flow distribution characteristics: Fluidic and thermal performance analysis

Manifold microchannels exhibit excellent performance in electronic device thermal management. By incorporating topology optimization and designing enhanced heat transfer ribs within the channels, the cooling performance can be further improved. However, existing research on manifold microchannels topology optimization mainly focuses on individual channel based on the assumption of uniform flow distribution. Additionally, few studies have conducted topology optimization on the heated surface of manifold microchannels. This paper employs a partitioned strategy to conduct topology optimization on the heated surface of manifold microchannel heat sink considering the uneven flow distribution characteristics within individual channels. Based on a typical Z-type manifold microchannel, two topology-optimized rib structures were developed by employing average temperature minimization as the optimization objective under different pressure drop constraints. Subsequently, a comparison was performed between the topology-optimized structures and existing inline pin fin structures with geometrically optimized configuration. The study found that both topology-optimized manifold microchannels configurations outperformed the pin fins manifold microchannels in terms of overall performance, average temperature of the heated surface, temperature uniformity of the heated surface, thermal resistance, and pumping power consumption. Specifically, the temperature uniformity of the heated surface improved by an average of 12 % and 11.2 %, total thermal resistance decreased by 7.9 % and 6.7 % on average, and when the average temperature of the heated surface was maintained at 65 °C, the required pumping power was reduced by 12.4 % and 5.2 %, respectively. The performance evaluation criterion values of both topology-optimized structures are higher than the corresponding inline pin fin structures, reaching up to 1.52, demonstrating superior overall performance. This study provides a new perspective for the structural design of manifold microchannels flow passages.