Numerical investigation of thermal control unit with foam composite phase change material

Two-dimensional mathematical model of portable electronic devices thermal control unit(TCU) was presented, and numerical computation was conducted to analyze its thermal performance. The results show that, TCU design by filling with foam composite phase change material(FCPCM) and adding fins can well improve the heat conduction of phase change material(PCM) in the TCU and also satisfy the need of electronics working condition; and the former design is superior to the latter one. Furthermore, numerical investigations were made to study the selection of foam matrix material and PCM. It is concluded that porosity is a key parameter of TCU design, and aluminum FCPCM has good thermal performance and the selection of PCM should depend on the operating condition of electronics. The conclusion provides guidelines for portable electronic devices TCU design and optimization.