Development of a low thermal resistance water jet cooled heat sink for thermoelectric refrigerators

In order to increase the performance of thermoelectric coolers, the thermal resistances of the heat sinks must be minimized. We demonstrate a low thermal resistance water cooled heat sink design for the hot side of a commercial low-cost thermoelectric refrigerator. An inline confined-jet array heat sink has been designed wherein the coolant directly impinges on the thermoelectric module, thereby eliminating the interfacial thermal resistance. The design was tested using CFD simulations and experimentally using a 3D printed prototype. A low thermal resistance 0.025 K/W was achieved with a small pressure drop of 25 kPa. The thermal resistance predicted using CFD matched well with the experiments. The study demonstrated the capacity for impinging jet heat sinks to eliminate interfacial contact resistance and the exciting potential for 3D printed heat sinks to provide advanced integrated cooling solutions.

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