Heat Dissipation Performance of High-Power CPUs using Finned Copper Foam Heat Sinks
Main Article Content
Abstract
Thermal management has become a major issue in the latest high performance computing machines because high CPU temperatures result in inefficient performance and decreased hardware life span. In this work, the cooling performance of a finned metal foam heat sink (FMFHS) was examined. The pore density values of tested copper metal foam (CMF) samples with different values of PPI 5, 10 and 20, with a constant porosity of 90%. For reference, these samples were measured by a conventional Aluminum plate-fin heat sink (CHS). The work was performed under experimental conditions in which air directed over the heat sink surface at air velocities (2.5, 3.0 and 3.5 m/s). The environmental temperature was fixed at 27 °C. Findings indicated that pore density strongly affected on the cooling behavior. The 5-PPI foam showed an improved thermal performance better than CHS, due to the open pores and increased surface area, which enhance convective heat transfer. By contrast, the 10-PPI demonstrated moderate copper foam performance, placed between PPI 5 and CHS. The 20 PPI foam showed the lowest heat removal rates. Under these conditions, the 5 PPI design presented a 21.6 % increase in Nusselt number and a 16.9 % decrease in total thermal resistance at 3.5 m/s and 120 W compared to CHS. This confirms that using low PPI copper foams, such as 5-PPI in finned geometries, provides a considerable gain in cooling efficiency for high-power electronic components. Therefore, in high-power CPU cooling systems requiring high efficiency and compact size, it is recommended to use low PPI finned CMF heat sinks.
Downloads
Article Details
Section
How to Cite
References
Adhikari, R., Wood, D., and Pahlevani, M., 2020. An experimental and numerical study of forced convection heat transfer from rectangular fins at low Reynolds numbers. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 163, P. 120418. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2020.120418.
Ali, H.M., Saieed, A., Pao, W. and Ali, M., 2018. Copper foam/PCMs based heat sinks: an experimental study for electronic cooling systems. International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 127, pp. 381-393.
Ali, R.M.K., and Ghashim, S.L., 2023. Numerical analysis of the heat transfer enhancement by using metal foam. Case Studies in Thermal Engineering, 49, P. 103336. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csite.2023.103336.
Andreozzi, A., Bianco, N., Iasiello, M. and Naso, V., 2017, January. Numerical study of metal foam heat sinks under uniform impinging flow. In Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 796(1), P. 012002. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/796/1/012002.
Bayomy, A.M., Saghir, M.Z. and Yousefi, T., 2016. Electronic cooling using water flow in aluminum metal foam heat sink: Experimental and numerical approach. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 109, pp. 182-200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2016.06.007.
Bianco, N., Iasiello, M., Mauro, G.M. and Pagano, L., 2021. Multi-objective optimization of finned metal foam heat sinks: Tradeoff between heat transfer and pressure drop. Applied Thermal Engineering, 182, P. 116058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2020.116058
De Schampheleire, S., De Jaeger, P., De Kerpel, K., Ameel, B., Huisseune, H. and De Paepe, M., 2016. How to study thermal applications of open-cell metal foam: Experiments and computational fluid dynamics. Materials, 9(2), P. 94. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma9020094.
Feng, S.S., Kuang, J.J., Lu, T.J. and Ichimiya, K., 2015. Heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of finned metal foam heat sinks under uniform impinging flow. Journal of Electronic Packaging, 137(2), P. 021014.https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4029722.
Güler, N., Bayer, Ö., and Solmaz, İ., 2024. Experimental and numerical investigation on fluid flow and heat transfer behaviour of foam cladded pin fin heat sink. Applied Thermal Engineering, 256, P. 124184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2024.124184.
Haghighi, S.S., Goshayeshi, H.R., and Zahmatkesh, I., 2024. Experimental investigation of forced convection heat transfer for different models of PPFHS heatsinks with different fin-pin spacing. Heliyon, 10(1)
Hao, G.H., and Zhang, Y.P., 2019. Thermal Performance Simulation of the Metal Foam Heat Sink. In Solid State Phenomena, pp. 208-213.
Heydari, A., Mesgarpour, M., and Gharib, M.R., 2020. Experimental and Numerical Study of Heat Transfer and Tensile Strength of Engineered Porous Fins to Estimate the Best Porosity. Jordan Journal of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, 14(3), pp. 339 - 348.
Hoi, S.M., Teh, A.L., Ooi, E.H., Chew, I.M.L., and Foo, J.J., 2019. Plate-fin heat sink forced convective heat transfer augmentation with a fractal insert. International Journal of Thermal Sciences, 142, pp. 392-406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijthermalsci.2019.04.035.
Holman, J.P., 2012. Experimental methods for engineers. New York: McGraw-Hill series in mechanical engineering.
Kanate, V., Pardeshi, A., Charde, F., Kolase, K., Bhise, A. and Kothmire, P., 2022, December. Numerical Investigation on Performance of CPU Heat Sinks. In Conference on Fluid Mechanics and Fluid Power, pp. 361-372. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Kim, S.Y., Paek, J.W. and Kang, B.H., 2003. Thermal performance of aluminum-foam heat sinks by forced air cooling. IEEE Transactions on components and packaging technologies, 26(1), pp. 262-267.
Li, Y., Gong, L., Xu, M., and Joshi, Y., 2020. Hydraulic and thermal performances of metal foam and pin fin hybrid heat sink. Applied Thermal Engineering, 166, P. 114665. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2019.114665.
Li, Y., Gong, L., Xu, M., and Joshi, Y., 2021. Thermal performance of metal foam heat sink with pin fins for nonuniform heat flux electronics cooling. Journal of Electronic Packaging, 143(1), P. 011006. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4046756.
Liaw, K.L., Rosle, A.F.H.B., Hendarti, R. and Kurnia, J.C., 2022, December. Thermal Performance Evaluation of Heat Sink with Pin Fin, Metal Foam and Dielectric Coolant. In International Conference on Renewable Energy and E-mobility, pp. 35-49. Singapore: Springer Nature Singapore.
Mangate, L., Ghuge, S., Khairnar, A., Dixit, S., Kale, A., Hujare, G., Gholap, S., and Sawant, G., 2025. Investigating the Effect of Heat Sink Material on Processor Thermal Management. In 2025 5th International Conference on Innovative Research in Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (IRASET), pp. 1-8. IEEE.
Mirshekar, A., Goodarzi, M.R., Mohebbi-Kalhori, D., and Mayam, M.H.S., 2023. Experimental study of heat transfer enhancement using metal foam partially filled with phase change material in a heat sink. Journal of Energy Storage, 60, P. 106496. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.est.2022.106496.
Moayad, N.A., and Sarsam, W.S., 2025. Theoretical and Experimental Investigation of an Acetone-Filled Pulsating Heat Pipe Heat Exchanger for Waste Heat Recovery. Journal of Engineering, 31(9), pp. 191-207. https://doi.org/10.31026/j.eng.2025.09.12.
Mokhiamar, O., Masara, D.O., and El Gamal, H., 2022. Performance Enhancement of Multi-Modal Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting Through Parameter Optimization. Jordan Journal of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, 16(5).
Nawaz, K., Bock, J., Dai, Z., and Jacobi, A.M., 2010. Experimental studies to evaluate the use of metal foams in highly compact air-cooling heat exchangers. International Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Conference. Paper 1150. http://docs.lib.purdue.edu/iracc/1150
Nima, M.A., and Hajeej, A.H., 2016. Experimental investigation of convection heat transfer enhancement in horizontal channel provided with metal foam blocks. Journal of Engineering, 22(5), pp. 144-161. https://doi.org/10.31026/j.eng.2016.05.10.
Pires-Fonseca, W.D., and Carrasco-Altemani, C.A., 2024. Experimental and numerical investigation of flat plate fins and inline strip fins heat sinks. Revista Facultad de Ingeniería Universidad de Antioquia, 110, pp. 86-98.
Qiu, T., Wen, D., Hong, W., and Liu, Y., 2020. Heat transfer performance of a porous copper micro-channel heat sink. Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry, 139(2), pp. 1453-1462.
Radmanesh, A., Dukhan, N., Liang, M., and Engels, J., 2023. Optimization of Metal Foam Heat Sinks for Electronic Air Cooling: Part I: Porosity. In 2023 22nd IEEE Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm), pp. 1-5. IEEE.
Rashid, F.L., Talib, S.M., and Hussein, A.K., 2022. An Experimental Investigation of Double Pipe Heat Exchanger Performance and Exergy Analysis Using Air Bubble Injection Technique. Jordan Journal of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering, 16(2), pp. 195 - 204.
Shadlaghani, A., Tavakoli, M., Farzaneh, M., and Salimpour, M., 2016. Optimization of triangular fins with/without longitudinal perforate for thermal performance enhancement. Journal of Mechanical Science and Technology, 30(4), pp. 1903-1910.
Singh, N.R., Onkar, S., and Ramkumar, J., 2021. Thermo-hydraulic performance of square micro pin fins under forced convection. International Journal of Heat and Technology, 39(1), pp. 170-178. https://doi.org/10.18280/ijht.390118
Theeb, A.H.F., and Hussain, I.Y., 2024. A Review of the Thermal Phase Change Materials (PCM) and Metal Foams for Electronic Chips Cooling. Al-Iraqia Journal for Scientific Engineering Research, 3(4), pp. 1-13.
Uglah, A.M., and Jubear, A.J., 2020. Numerical thermal performance of free convection in metal foam heat sinks with fin edges. University of Thi-Qar Journal for Engineering Sciences, 11(1), pp. 19-30. https://doi.org/10.31663/tqujes.11.1.375(2020).
Wang, Y., Ma, X., Ouyang, Z., and Liang, S., 2025. Comprehensive analysis of forced convection heat transfer enhanced by metal foam with pore density gradient structure. Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 285, P. 113549.
Welsford, C., Thanapathy, P., Bayomy, A.M., and Saghir, M.Z., 2018. Thermal Performance in High Porosity Open-Cell Aluminum Foams. In ICTEA: International Conference on Thermal Engineering, pp. 1-3.
Xiong, J., Sun, J., Chen, Y., and Nie, Z., 2024. Study on the flow and heat transfer characteristics inside high-porosity open-cell copper foams: Experimental and numerical explorations. International Journal of Heat and Fluid Flow, 109, P. 109499. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijheatfluidflow.2024.109499.
Younus, S.M., and Abedalh, A.S., 2025. Enhancement the performance of the heat sink by using metal foam partially immersed in phase change materials for different porosities. Energy Technology, P. 2500774.
Yudanto, F.D., Inderanata, R.N., Johan, A.B., and Setuju, S., 2023. Numerical study optimation design of CPU cooling system analysis using CFD method. Applied Engineering and Technology, 2(3), pp. 241-253.
Zografos, A.I., Martin, W.A., and Sunderland, J.E., 1987. Equations of properties as a function of temperature for seven fluids. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 61(2), pp. 177-187.