Experimental investigation on the performance of CPU coolers: Effect of heat pipe inclination angle and the use of nanofluids

• DOI: 10.1016/j.microrel.2013.06.012
• Publication Date: 2013-07-10T12:16:11Z
• Authors: T. Yousefi; S.A. Mousavi; B. Farahbakhsh; M.Z. Saghir
• Keywords: 0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering; 02 engineering and technology; 7. Clean energy

Abstract An experimental study of heat transfer performance of a CPU cooling heat pipe, examining the effects of inclination angle and nanofluids, has been conducted. It is shown that inclination angle of the unit has a significant effect on the cooling process, since it directly influences the operation of the evaporator. The effect is mainly due to the capillary effect and boiling limits of the heat pipe. The results demonstrate that for a given CPU temperature, there is a threshold angle at which the thermal resistance of the heat pipe increases dramatically. It is observed that as the CPU temperature increases, the threshold angle decreases from 60° to 30°. Introduction of 0.5 wt% Al2O3 nanoparticles to the water coolant of heat pipe has led to a decrease in thermal resistance. It is shown that at 10 W, the presence of nanofluid has reduced the thermal resistance by 15%, while at 25 W, the thermal resistance has dropped by 22%.