Cooling of recent microprocessors by the fusion of nano-enhanced phase change materials Hamza Faraji a,⇑ , Mustapha Faraji a , Mustapha El Alami a , Yassine Hariti b , Adeel Arshad c , Ahmed Hader b , Ayman Benkaddour a a Physics Department, LPMMAT Laboratory, Faculty of Sciences Ain Chock, Hassan II University, BP 5366 Maarif, Casablanca 20000, Morocco b LBGIM, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Hassan II University, Casablanca, Morocco c Fluids & Thermal Engineering (FLUTE) Research Group, Faculty of Engineering, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK article info Article history: Received 13 January 2020 Received in revised form 14 April 2020 Accepted 17 April 2020 Available online xxxx Keywords: Cooling Heat source Latent storage PCM Nanoparticle abstract Nowadays, powerful electronic devices, such as laptops, cameras, telephones, have entered the electron- ics market while introducing highly developed integrated circuit technology. The miniaturization of these circuits and the high power generated can be considered as the main characteristics of these devices. This requires, at some point, a cooling strategy for the electronic component to avoid any failure or condition caused by reaching the critical component temperature. However, an introduction of a hybrid heat sink based on phase change material (PCM) and metallic nanoparticles is presented. This heat sink is used to cool a heat source (microprocessor) fixed to the center of a substrate (motherboard) at the bottom of a rectangular enclosure filled with PCM (n-eicosane, T m = 36 °C). The source generates heat at a constant and uniform volume flux rate. This generated heat is dissipated within the PCM during a melting process. It is a latent storage of heat. The choice of this strategy is based on the fact that PCMs are characterized by a high energy density, which makes them capable of storing a large amount of heat generated by the heat source. The equations that govern the problem are treated using the finite volume method. The SIMPLE algorithm is used for pressure-velocity coupling. Numerical investigations were conducted to examine the effects of the nanoparticles volumetric fraction, X n , on thermal behavior and cooling system response to ensure better thermal performance. Temporal monitoring of the liquid fraction, average Nusselt num- ber, solid-liquid interface and isotherms is given and discussed. Ó 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Confer- ence on Renewable Energy and Applications. 1. Introduction The period after the oil crisis in 1973 was decisive for the energy status of countries. This crisis and the increase in energy prices have encouraged numerous researchers to initiate research studies focusing on replacing traditional energy resources with new and more efficient ones. Storage remains a recommended means for optimal thermal energy management. PCMs are candi- dates who can satisfy different criteria necessary for latent storage after there appear in aeronautics [1–3]. These materials are charac- terized by properties that give them application in different fields; cooling of electronic components, building efficiency, agricultural greenhouses,... [4–6]. Several works are cited in literature that focus on the process of integrating PCMs into cavities of different geometries. Pal and Joshi [7] present an experimental and numerical study of the PCM melt- ing in a rectangular enclosure with an aspect ratio of 10. The enclo- sure is subjected to a constant flux density. The natural convection effect during the melting process is analyzed. It is the same con- cern of Xiang-Qi et al. [8] by a numerical study. The examination of the enclosure aspect ratio effect confirms that the time required for melting increases with the increase in the aspect ratio and that the natural convection effect will become less effective. Krishnan and Garimella [9] presented the cooling of electronic components with pulsed or intermittent power dissipation in a transient anal- ysis. This process is governed by various parameters such as the enclosure aspect ratio and the heat sources position. The study confirmed the results of Xiang-Qi et al. [8] for large aspect ratios. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.04.342 2214-7853/Ó 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Selection and Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific committee of the International Conference on Renewable Energy and Applications. ⇑ Corresponding author. E-mail address: faraji-ham@hotmail.com (H. Faraji). Materials Today: Proceedings xxx (xxxx) xxx Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Materials Today: Proceedings journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/matpr Please cite this article as: H. Faraji, M. Faraji, M. El Alami et al., Cooling of recent microprocessors by the fusion of nano-enhanced phase change materials, Materials Today: Proceedings, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matpr.2020.04.342