Experimental and numerical investigation of Phase Change Material (PCM) heatsink for electronic thermal management applications

The increasing thermal requirements of electronic devices necessitate the use of effective passive cooling technologies. In present study, the thermal performance of phase change material (PCM)-integrated heat sinks is investigated using a combined experimental and numerical method. Acrylic heat sinks embedded with paraffin-based PCMs of different melting temperatures (42 °C and 55 °C) and thicknesses (60 mm and 120 mm) were tested under free convection conditions with heat inputs ranging from 5 to 15 W. A three-dimensional transient numerical model based on the enthalpy–porosity method was also developed to simulate the phase change process and validate the experimental observations. The numerical model closely matches the experimental results, with about 13% deviation confirming the reliability of the approach. Results demonstrate that PCM integration significantly reduces the rate of temperature rise and enhances thermal stability compared to conventional heat sinks without PCM. Increasing the PCM thickness from 60 to 120 mm extends the thermal regulation period by up to 50 min at 5 W and 35 min at 15 W. PCMs with higher melting temperatures extend thermal regulation, particularly at higher heat inputs, but lead to higher final operating temperatures. The findings emphasize that selecting suitable PCM melting temperature and thickness is crucial for effective thermal management in PCM based power electronic devices.