Ultra-High Heat Flux Condenser for Electronics Cooling

Temperature control systems for high-power electronics in future military platforms are likely to use two-phase cooling systems, either in the form of two-phase pumped loops or vapor compression refrigeration systems. Either type of system will require a compact condenser to reject heat from the system. We propose to develop an innovative heat exchanger that couples an extremely compact, microchannel condenser with a very-high heat flux, single-phase heat exchanger. The technology enables very low thermal resistance and uses only well-established, low-cost fabrication processes and can be adapted to a wide range of sizes and form factors. In Phase I we will prove the feasibility of our approach by defining a complete set of specifications for the condenser, designing and building a proof-of-concept condenser, and demonstrating heat transfer coefficients of 50,000 W/m²-K or greater. In Phase II we will design, build, and demonstrate a full-scale prototype to reject 5 kW of heat from a two-phase loop operating at 70°C to a fresh water cooling loop at a temperature of 25°C.