Nucleate Boiling of Nanofluids for Ultra High Heat Flux Thermal Management

"MicroEnergy Technologies, Inc. (MicroET) and the University of Washington propose to demonstrate the feasibility and the major advantages of a unique high heat flux cooling module which combines innovations in heat rejection with innovative rosette pumpdesign to achieve heat rejection rates in excess of 1000 W/cm2 from the surface of a substrate. The most critical innovation is the use of ceramic nanoparticles suspension (i.e., SiC or aluminum oxide nanofluid) used as the heat rejection medium in whichintense nucleate boiling produce extremely high heat fluxes. The piezoelectric rosette micropump geometry is integrated into the rosette cooling module to maintain a high enough flow rate through the parallel array of microchannels for efficient cooling.The proposed approach allows for distributed cooling of the electronics without the need for external pumping and the ability to provide localized control. During Phase I, we will perform analytical and computational modeling for system design andanalysis, experimentally demonstrate the significant advantages and improvements in cooling system performance. The final product, ultra high heat flux thermal management system, in addition to application in defense technologies, will have asignificant commercial value to a broader industry, including the aerospace and space electronics manufacturers. Efficient distributed cooling will reduce the risk of system failure, increase system th