An Analytical-Computational Model for Predicting the Temperature of a Computer Central Processing Unit Cooler

Abstract

This study presents a simple method for predicting the temperature of the base-plate of a central processing unit (CPU) cooler. These coolers are used in desktop computers to keep the CPU at an optimum operating temperature. The technique discussed here combines a computational approach with an analytical solution. The cooler has a base-plate, four heat pipes, and many plate-fins that transfer the CPU heat to the surrounding air. The computational model selects a fin and adjacent airflow and obtains a correlation for the conjugate Nusselt number. The model’s analytical part depends on this correlation, and it predicts the base-plate and heat pipes’ temperatures. The parameters that affect the temperature are the flow Reynolds number, CPU power, and the heat pipes’ effective thermal conductivity. The ranges of parameters in this study are Reynolds number 100–1000, CPU power 50–400 W, and thermal conductivity ratio 1–100. While Reynolds number and thermal conductivity ratio decrease the cooler temperature, the CPU power increases the temperature. The heat pipes’ dimensionless temperature depends on Reynolds number and thermal conductivity ratio, but not on the CPU power. The CPU cooler’s thermal resistance is a function of Reynolds number and thermal conductivity and provides a convenient way to estimate the CPU temperature.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Majid Molki

Majid Molki is a Distinguished Research Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, in 1982. During the nearly four decades of academic work, he has explored many aspects of thermal-fluid sciences and has established extensive research backgrounds in experimental and computational heat and mass transfer. His more recent activities are focused on electronics cooling, computational modeling of viscous Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, turbulent flows, and targeted heat transfer augmentation using electrically induced corona jet.

Abdul Mohi Mohammed

Mohammed Abdul Mohi received his BS (2018) in Mechanical Engineering from Osmania University in Hyderabad, India. Currently, he is pursuing his MS in Mechanical Engineering at Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. In 2018, he became certified with an MEP degree. During his graduation period at Southern Illinois University, he worked as a teaching assistant for Heat Transfer and has participated in many CFD analysis projects. His current research interests include the designing and modeling of a CPU cooler and studying its thermal performance