Enhanced thermal performance of vortex generating liquid heat sink for the application of cooling high voltage direct current devices

An experimental investigation of serpentine design flow channel heat sinks has been carried out to assess their suitability for the thermal management of high voltage direct current (HVDC) devices. This study contributes to the effective cooling technique that utilizes the mixture of water (70%) and propylene glycol (30%) as a working fluid. Fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics are significantly affected by the geometrical parameters of the flow channels in heat sink which are experimentally investigated in this study. The effects of coolant flow rate and four different flow channel shapes on the heat sink performance are investigated in detail. The assessment of heat sink performance for HVDC device is based on several exclusive attributes such as temperature profile, Nusselt number, thermal resistance, pressure drop, pumping power, Colburn j-factor, and friction factor. We conclude that the flow channel with vortex generator installed heat sink shows the best performance in contrast to other types of flow channel heat sinks studied. The proposed experimental approach provides comprehensive insights into flow channel design configurations for heat sinks.