Hydrothermal assessment of a hybrid geometry-optimized microchannel and internal jet-impingement cooling architecture for advanced chips

Abstract

The increasing power density of modern electronic chips demands advanced cooling solutions capable of high heat removal and temperature uniformity. This study experimentally investigates a hybrid cooling architecture integrating microchannel cold plates with internal jet impingement. In this design, water jets are delivered through small-nozzle tubes that are strategically distributed along the microchannel to provide localized heattransfer enhancement. Three microchannel geometries—rectangular, arc-shaped, and sinusoidal—are evaluated under heat loads of 500–1000 W and flow rates of 1–4 l/min. Results indicate that the sinusoidal geometry achieves the highest overall hydrothermal efficiency, with jet integration yielding substantial performance gains. At 4 l/min and 1000 W, the hybrid sinusoidal design enhances the Nusselt number by 37.3% and reduces thermal resistance by 21.8%, while lowering the average surface temperature by up to 16 ◦C compared to a conventional plain cold plate. The thermal enhancement factor reaches 1.278, despite an associated pressure drop penalty. Furthermore, the hybrid design reduces the minimum flow rate required for safe operation and enhances energy reuse capability, achieving up to an 11% increase in the Energy Reuse Factor (ERF) compared to the traditional plain cooling block.