Forced air cooling of electronic packages is enhanced through the use of extended surfaces or heat sinks that reduce boundary resistance allowing heat generating devices to operate at lower temperatures, thereby improving reliability. Unfortunately, the clearance zones or bypass regions surrounding the heat sink, channel some of the cooling air mass away from the heat sink, making it difficult to accurately estimate thermal performance. The design of an "optimized" heat sink requires a complete knowledge of all thermal resistances between the heat source and the ambient air, therefore, it is imperative that the boundary resistance is properly characterized, since it is typically the controlling resistance in the path. Existing models are difficult to incorporate into optimization routines because they do not provide a means of predicting flow bypass based on information at hand, such as heat sink geometry or approach velocity. <br /><br /> A procedure is presented that allows the simultaneous optimization of heat sink design parameters based on a minimization of the entropy generation associated with thermal resistance and fluid pressure drop. All relevant design parameters such as geometric parameters of a heat sink, source and bypass configurations, heat dissipation, material properties and flow conditions can be simultaneously optimized to characterize a heat sink that minimizes entropy generation and in turn results in a minimum operating temperature of an electronic component. <br /><br /> An analytical model for predicting air flow and pressure drop across the heat sink is developed by applying conservation of mass and momentum over the bypass regions and in the flow channels established between the fins of the heat sink. The model is applicable for the entire laminar flow range and any type of bypass (side, top or side and top both) or fully shrouded configurations. During the development of the model, the flow was assumed to be steady, laminar, developing flow. The model is also correlated to a simple equation within 8% confidence level for an easy implementation into the entropy generation minimization procedure. The influence of all the resistances to heat transfer associated with a heat sink are studied, and an order of magnitude analysis is carried out to include only the influential resistances in the thermal resistance model. Spreading and material resistances due to the geometry of the base plate, conduction and convection resistances associated with the fins of the heat sink and convection resistance of the wetted surfaces of the base plate are considered for the development of a thermal resistance model. The thermal resistance and pressure drop model are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental data over a wide range of flow conditions, heat sink geometries, bypass configurations and power levels, typical of many applications found in microelectronics and related fields. Data published in the open literature are also used to show the flexibility of the models to simulate a variety of applications. <br /><br /> The proposed thermal resistance and pressure drop model are successfully used in the entropy generation minimization procedure to design a heat sink with bypass for optimum dimensions and performance. A sensitivity analysis is also carried out to check the influence of bypass configurations, power levels, heat sink materials and the coverage ratio on the optimum dimensions and performance of a heat sink and it is found that any change in these parameters results in a change in the optimized heat sink dimensions and flow conditions associated with the application for optimal heat sink performance.

Forced air cooling of electronic packages is enhanced through the use of extended surfaces or heat sinks that reduce boundary resistance allowing heat generating devices to operate at lower temperatures, thereby improving reliability. Unfortunately, the clearance zones or bypass regions surrounding the heat sink, channel some of the cooling air mass away from the heat sink, making it difficult to accurately estimate thermal performance. The design of an "optimized" heat sink requires a complete knowledge of all thermal resistances between the heat source and the ambient air, therefore, it is imperative that the boundary resistance is properly characterized, since it is typically the controlling resistance in the path. Existing models are difficult to incorporate into optimization routines because they do not provide a means of predicting flow bypass based on information at hand, such as heat sink geometry or approach velocity. <br /><br /> A procedure is presented that allows the simultaneous optimization of heat sink design parameters based on a minimization of the entropy generation associated with thermal resistance and fluid pressure drop. All relevant design parameters such as geometric parameters of a heat sink, source and bypass configurations, heat dissipation, material properties and flow conditions can be simultaneously optimized to characterize a heat sink that minimizes entropy generation and in turn results in a minimum operating temperature of an electronic component. <br /><br /> An analytical model for predicting air flow and pressure drop across the heat sink is developed by applying conservation of mass and momentum over the bypass regions and in the flow channels established between the fins of the heat sink. The model is applicable for the entire laminar flow range and any type of bypass (side, top or side and top both) or fully shrouded configurations. During the development of the model, the flow was assumed to be steady, laminar, developing flow. The model is also correlated to a simple equation within 8% confidence level for an easy implementation into the entropy generation minimization procedure. The influence of all the resistances to heat transfer associated with a heat sink are studied, and an order of magnitude analysis is carried out to include only the influential resistances in the thermal resistance model. Spreading and material resistances due to the geometry of the base plate, conduction and convection resistances associated with the fins of the heat sink and convection resistance of the wetted surfaces of the base plate are considered for the development of a thermal resistance model. The thermal resistance and pressure drop model are shown to be in good agreement with the experimental data over a wide range of flow conditions, heat sink geometries, bypass configurations and power levels, typical of many applications found in microelectronics and related fields. Data published in the open literature are also used to show the flexibility of the models to simulate a variety of applications. <br /><br /> The proposed thermal resistance and pressure drop model are successfully used in the entropy generation minimization procedure to design a heat sink with bypass for optimum dimensions and performance. A sensitivity analysis is also carried out to check the influence of bypass configurations, power levels, heat sink materials and the coverage ratio on the optimum dimensions and performance of a heat sink and it is found that any change in these parameters results in a change in the optimized heat sink dimensions and flow conditions associated with the application for optimal heat sink performance.

The present work addresses the thermodynamic optimization of small binary-cycle geothermal power plants. The optimization process and entropy generation minimization analysis were performed to minimize the overall exergy loss of the power plant, and the irreversibilities associated with heat transfer and fluid friction caused by the system components. The effect of the geothermal resource temperature to impact on the cycle power output was studied, and it was found that the maximum cycle power output increases exponentially with the geothermal resource temperature. In addition, an optimal turbine inlet temperature was determined, and observed to increase almost linearly with the increase in the geothermal heat source. Furthermore, a coaxial geothermal heat exchanger was modeled and sized for minimum pumping power and maximum extracted heat energy. The geofluid circulation flow rate was also optimized, subject to a nearly linear increase in geothermal gradient. In both limits of the fully turbulent and laminar fully-developed flows, a nearly identical diameter ratio of the coaxial pipes was determined irrespective of the flow regime, whereas the optimal geofluid mass flow rate increased exponentially with the Reynolds number. SeveORCs were observed to yield maximum cycle power output. The addition of an IHE and/or an Oral organic Rankine Cycles were also considered as part of the study. The basic types of the FOH improved significantly the effectiveness of the conversion of the available geothermal energy into useful work, and increased the thermal efficiency of the geothermal power plant. Therefore, the regenerative ORCs were preferred for high-grade geothermal heat. In addition, a performance analysis of several organic fluids was conducted under saturation temperature and subcritical pressure operating conditions of the turbine. Organic fluids with higher boiling point temperature, such as n-pentane, were recommended for the basic type of ORCs, whereas those with lower vapour specific heat capacity, such as butane, were more suitable for the regenerative ORCs. / Dissertation (MEng)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering / unrestricted

This thesis presents work on a holistic approach for improving the overall design of solar cooling systems driven by solar thermal collectors. Newly developed methods for thermodynamic optimization of hydraulics and control were used to redesign an existing pilot plant. Measurements taken from the newly developed system show an 81% increase of the Solar Cooling Efficiency (SCEth) factor compared to the original pilot system. In addition to the improvements in system design, new efficiency factors for benchmarking solar cooling systems are presented. The Solar Supply Efficiency (SSEth) factor provides a means of quantifying the quality of solar thermal charging systems relative to the usable heat to drive the sorption process. The product of the SSEth with the already established COPth of the chiller, leads to the SCEth factor which, for the first time, provides a clear and concise benchmarking method for the overall design of solar cooling systems. Furthermore, the definition of a coefficient of performance, including irreversibilities from energy conversion (COPcon), enables a direct comparison of compression and sorption chiller technology. This new performance metric is applicable to all low-temperature heat-supply machines for direct comparison of different types or technologies. The achieved findings of this work led to an optimized generic design for solar cooling systems, which was successfully transferred to the market.