Peak Temperature Mitigation of a Multimicrochannel Evaporator Under Transient Heat Loads

Microchannel flow boiling has shown great cooling potential with steady-state studies demonstrating the capability to dissipate heat fluxes over 1 kW cm⁻². However, most microelectronic devices undergo transient heat loads involving cold startups or pulse-like power operation. Transient heating events in low thermal resistance, low thermal capacity cold plates may exacerbate boiling instabilities and result in device damage or failure due to local dryout conditions. Currently, limited studies are investigating these effects and potential mitigation strategies. In this study, step function, or pulsed, and ramped heat loads are investigated on a multimicrochannel silicon evaporator using R134a under a range of heat fluxes and ramping rates. The transient temperature response of the base heater is recorded using a calibrated infrared (IR) camera, while fluid flow visualization is captured using a video camera microscope. Pulsed heat loads resulted in a large temperature overshoot in the test section until the fluid reached the onset of nucleate boiling (ONB), while significant vapor backflow is observed despite the presence of channel inlet restrictions. Steady boiling is eventually reached and vapor backflow is suppressed. The magnitude of the temperature overshoot is observed to be strongly dependent on peak heat flux. In contrast, ramped heat loads resulted in lower peak temperature rises before ONB as well as significantly reduced vapor backflow compared to the pulsed heat loads.