CHENNAI: Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) have developed and experimentally validated an advanced cooling technology that could significantly improve thermal management in compact electronic systems, offering a potential solution to one of the biggest engineering challenges posed by increasingly powerful and miniaturised devices.
The study introduces a redesigned Flat Plate Pulsating Heat Pipe (FPPHP), a passive cooling device that transfers heat without the need for external power. As electronic devices continue to become smaller while delivering higher computing power, efficient heat dissipation has emerged as a critical requirement to sustain performance, improve reliability and extend the lifespan of components used in consumer electronics, data centres, defence platforms and electric vehicles.
Led by Arvind Pattamatta and Pallab Sinha Mahapatra of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IIT Madras, the research proposes a novel antiparallel configuration in which the heat-absorbing evaporator and the heat-releasing condenser are positioned on opposite faces of the cooling plate. Unlike conventional designs that place both sections on the same side, the new layout is intended for compact electronic enclosures where available space is limited.
The researchers evaluated two sealing configurations, one using a silicon gasket and the other employing O-rings. Experimental results showed that the O-ring configuration achieved 16 per cent lower overall thermal resistance at higher heat loads owing to stronger working-fluid pulsation. At a heat input of 100 watts, the O-ring design lowered the evaporator temperature to around 69 degrees Celsius and recorded an overall thermal resistance of 0.44 K/W, outperforming the gasket-based configuration.
Explaining the working principle, Arvind Pattamatta said the device functions like a sealed tube in which the working fluid continuously evaporates at the heated end, condenses at the cooler end and naturally circulates, creating an efficient heat-transfer cycle without mechanical pumps.
Research scholar Davis T Vempany said the O-ring configuration allowed the working fluid to pulsate more freely, resulting in improved heat transport despite holding a lower initial fluid volume. Co-author Mahapatra said aluminium not only reduced the overall weight of the device but also outperformed copper, recording nearly 20 per cent lower thermal resistance, making it a promising material for commercial production.
The team also demonstrated that making the inner channel walls superhydrophilic improved thin-film evaporation and reduced thermal resistance by about 16 per cent compared with untreated surfaces.
The research, carried out in collaboration with scientists from IIT Madras, Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering, Chennai, and the DRDO’s Instruments Research and Development Establishment, Dehradun, highlights the technology’s potential applications in smartphones, laptops, high-performance servers, radar systems, avionics and electric vehicle power electronics.