UCI High Heat Flux Thermal Management

Thermal management systems, involving the use of technology to control and maintain temperature within a certain range, have applications across many industries. With the continuing advancements in electronics and other high power density producing systems such as spacecraft, the power they generate is expected to increase. These systems are projected to exceed a power generation of 1400 W/cm2. The absence of efficient cooling systems and power dissipation, however, will lead to the degradation of the system and short term use of components. The Air Force Research Laboratory is actively researching thermal management solutions and have partnered with universities for research and development. The High Heat Flux Project hopes to collaborate with AFRL in the future by relaying data.

The overall goal of the project is to design and manufacture a test bed that will demonstrate a controlled production and dissipation of heat flux. This is achieved by utilizing a heat cartridge to mimick a high power density system on one end, as well as a cooling system involving liquid nitrogen on the other end, creating a large temperature difference along a copper rod. Our goal is to reach a heat flux of at least 300 W/cm2 by the end of the year.