A morphology optimization of enclosure shape of low melting point alloy-based PCM heat sink

The enclosure shape of the phase change material (PCM) container is an important factor affecting the thermal performance of PCM heat sinks. A novel morphology optimization method is developed and used to optimize the enclosure shape of the low melting point alloy (LMPA) based PCM heat sink. The working process of the LMPA heat sink is firstly simulated with a simplified 2D numerical model. Then, morphology operations (erosion and dilation) are performed to update the material distribution in the design domain based on the simulation results. Through alternative execution of simulation and morphology operations, the desired optimal enclosure shape is obtained, and the optimization results are further experimentally validated. It is shown that the proposed optimization method can obtain better optimization results than traditional methods. With a fixed heat flux of 30 kW/m2, the experimental temperature rise rate of the optimized LMPA heat sink is about 1.59 degrees C/min, which is 57.9 % lower than the theoretical minimum temperature rise rate of the corresponding rectangular LMPA heat sink. The experimental protection time of the optimized LMPA heat sink is about 924 s with a safety temperature of 120 degrees C, which is 31.3 % longer than the theoretical maximum protection time of the corresponding rectangular heat sink.