On the performance of an innovative electronic chipset thermal management module based on energy storage unit concept utilizing nano-additive phase change material (NPCM)

•Proposing an innovative passive cooling module based on energy storage unit concept.•Employing ZnO-PCM and TiO2-PCM as the nano-additive phase change materials.•Utilizing image processing technique to capture the PCM melting behavior vs. time.•Novel heat sink leads to temperature reduction (∼10 °C compared to conventional ones.•Lower transient/steady temperature is achieved in a higher volume fraction of the PCM. Due to size minimization and increment in the frequency of electronic devices, efficient and reliable methods for thermal management are required to reduce operating temperature, enhance stability, increase lifetime and user comfort. To prevent the damages of leakage and corrosion which occur in conventional heat sinks, proposing innovative thermal management methods has always been welcomed. Regarding these issues and based on the energy storage unit concept, in this study, a passive heat sink (HS) is fabricated and characterized for electronic chipset cooling with heat fluxes of 2000 to 4000 W/m2 utilizing phase change material (PCM) and nano-additive PCM (NPCM). The presented cooling module has two separate parts of a conventional HS and energy storage unit which are linked together with horizontal circular copper fins; thus, this design provides indirect contact between PCM and electronic chipset. To elucidate the cooling ability of various cases, chipset and PCM temperatures in the transient and steady-state conditions, as well as thermal efficiency, are selected as the comparison criteria. In addition to this, image processing is carried out to visualize the PCM/NPCM melting behavior. The results indicate that the steady-state and transient temperatures decrease about 10 °C and 12 °C, respectively, in the case of innovative cooling module (PCM filled energy storage unit) compared to that of the conventional one (PCM filled heat sink). The maximum reduction in the chipset transient temperature is equal to 22 °C which can be achieved when the storage unit is filled with PCM/ZnO. At a heat flux of 3000 W/m2, the chipset experiences 60 °C after 19 min; while by the aid of a storage unit with 50, 90, 110, and 130 ml of PCM, this time increases to 34, 45, 50, and 53 min, respectively. [Display omitted]