Metal foam cooling

Context

Metal foams are cellular structures made of metal and characterized by a high void ratio (up to 95%). Their particular structure enables them to preserve certain mechanical properties, while at the same time displaying a reduced apparent density. They are used in the automotive and military industries, for their ability to absorb shocks, and in the energy sector (latent heat storage with phase-change material). Metal foams are also used as heat exchangers, since they offer a very high surface-to-volume ratio.

Objective

In the present case, these metal foams are designed for the electronics sector: the race to miniaturize components means that the volume density of energy to be dissipated for cooling must be concentrated.

It turns out that in this field, metal foams offer a more efficient alternative to conventional finned metal radiators. The aim here is to characterize the equivalent heat exchange coefficient of the honeycomb structure and compare its performance with that of finned radiators.

Simulation and results

We simulate natural or forced convection within a metal foam to evaluate its equivalent convective exchange coefficient and therefore its cooling capacity. With this data, it is possible to compare the performance of metal foam with that of another type of heat exchanger, and also to identify areas for improvement and the limitations of this type of exchanger.