IGBT Heat Sink Cooling CFD Simulation

Project Overview

In this study, we conduct a comprehensive CFD analysis simulating the cooling process of an IGBT Heat Sink using ANSYS Fluent software. Our team has performed this computational fluid dynamics investigation to evaluate thermal management effectiveness.

An insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) functions as a critical three-terminal power semiconductor component, commonly employed as an electronic switching device. These transistors generate considerable thermal energy during operation and can suffer performance degradation from excessive heat.

Implementing cooling strategies such as air or liquid cooling mechanisms (particularly heat sinks) effectively dissipates this surplus heat, resulting in enhanced performance capabilities, significantly higher power densities, and more compact module designs.

In our simulation setup, the heat sink interfaces with a heat source generating 14583 W/m² flux on one surface, while air circulates across the opposite surface at a 0.25 kg/s mass flow rate. This airflow serves as the primary cooling mechanism for the heat sink assembly.

The simulation geometry comprises both the heat source and heat sink components. We designed and generated the mesh using Gambit® software, implementing an unstructured mesh configuration with 11,872,367 elements for detailed analysis.

Analytical Approach

To accurately model heat transfer dynamics, we activated the Energy Equation within the simulation. Additionally, we implemented the Laminar viscous model to properly resolve the airflow characteristics throughout the system.

Results and Findings

Our analysis produced comprehensive visualization data including temperature distributions, velocity profiles, surface heat flux patterns, and Nusselt number representations. These contours clearly demonstrate how the cooler fluid flow effectively reduces the heat sink temperature.

The thermal exchange between the cold fluid flow and the heat source successfully lowered the overall system temperature, confirming that the cooling mechanism meets the project's objectives. The simulation validates the effectiveness of the selected cooling approach for IGBT thermal management.