Gaspar García, CFD portfolio
Micro-channel heat sink: the model reads 0.95 to 2.09 °C hot at all four thermocouples
ComparedUpdated 2026-11-14
Objective. Predict the copper temperature at four thermocouples in a water-cooled micro-channel heat sink with a steady laminar conjugate model of one channel, and compare with measurements.
| Reynolds number (inlet properties, hydraulic diameter) | 890 |
|---|---|
| Effective heat flux (planform) | 100 W/cm², 21.3333 W per channel |
| Inlet velocity | 2.904014677 m/s |
| Inlet water temperature | 288.15 K (15 °C) |
| Hydraulic diameter | 348.947 µm |
| Solver | OpenFOAM v2412, chtMultiRegionSimpleFoam, steady |
| Turbulence model | None: laminar |
| Cells | 11,660 to 268,522 (four grids) |
Comparison with experiment
| Quantity | Experiment | Simulation, finest grid | Signed difference (°C) |
|---|---|---|---|
| TC1, x 5 mm | 40.13 °C | 41.08 °C | +0.95 °C |
| TC2, x 16.588 mm | 45.09 °C | 47.18 °C | +2.09 °C |
| TC3, x 28.176 mm | 50.34 °C | 52.21 °C | +1.87 °C |
| TC4, x 39.764 mm | 55.30 °C | 56.72 °C | +1.42 °C |
Thermocouple temperature (°C) against Distance from the channel inlet x (m)
- Measured, digitised (bar: digitising estimate)
- Measured, same points (bar: thermocouple uncertainty, paper)
- Simulation, finest of four grids
Verdict
On the finest of four grids the model reads 0.95 to 2.09 °C above the four digitised thermocouple temperatures. Only TC1 has a numerical band (about 0.5 K, this scheme only). A comparison, not a validation.
Limits
- Measured values digitised from a figure (±0.5 °C); one operating point has a grid ladder.
- No band at TC2 to TC4; the energy-scheme sensitivity exceeds the TC1 band.
- Unit cell: no plenum maldistribution; air-pocket geometry read from drawings.