Experimental and Numerical Study of the Heat Dissipation of the Electronic Module in an Air Conditioner Outdoor Unit

Effective thermal management of electronic modules is crucial to the reliable operation of variable frequency air conditioners. For this reason, two types of plate-finned heat sinks of electronic modules were selected. The experiments utilized ceramic heating plates to simulate chip heating, conduct...

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Main Authors: Yi Peng, Su Du, Qingfeng Bie, Dechang Wang, Qinglu Song, Sai Zhou
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Energies
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/10/2439
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author Yi Peng
Su Du
Qingfeng Bie
Dechang Wang
Qinglu Song
Sai Zhou
author_facet Yi Peng
Su Du
Qingfeng Bie
Dechang Wang
Qinglu Song
Sai Zhou
author_sort Yi Peng
collection DOAJ
description Effective thermal management of electronic modules is crucial to the reliable operation of variable frequency air conditioners. For this reason, two types of plate-finned heat sinks of electronic modules were selected. The experiments utilized ceramic heating plates to simulate chip heating, conducted in an enthalpy difference laboratory with controlled environments. Four installation cases were analyzed to evaluate the impact of heat sink orientation, airflow direction, and structural layout. The results showed that when multiple chips were arranged on the same heat dissipation substrate, the heat dissipation process of the chips would be coupled with each other, and the rational layout of the chips played an important role in heat dissipation. In the case of cooling air impacting the jet, the heat dissipation performance of the heat sink was significantly improved, and the heat transfer coefficient of the heat sink was as high as 316.5 W·m<sup>−2</sup>·°C<sup>−1</sup>, representing a 6.9% improvement over conventional designs (case I: 296.1 W·m⁻<sup>2</sup>·°C⁻<sup>1</sup>). The maximum temperature of the chips could be reduced by 11.1%, which is 10.1 °C lower. This study will provide a reference for the optimization design of the heat sink of the electric control module in inverter air conditioners.
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spelling doaj-art-e6f32dd360d14052be37d6cfdc3381c62025-08-20T02:33:59ZengMDPI AGEnergies1996-10732025-05-011810243910.3390/en18102439Experimental and Numerical Study of the Heat Dissipation of the Electronic Module in an Air Conditioner Outdoor UnitYi Peng0Su Du1Qingfeng Bie2Dechang Wang3Qinglu Song4Sai Zhou5College of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao University, 308 Ningxia Road, Qingdao 266071, ChinaChina United Network Communications Corporation, Yantai Branch, 318 Shengli Road, Yantai 264000, ChinaHisense Air Conditioner Co., Ltd., Hisense R & D Center, 399 Songling Road, Qingdao 266104, ChinaCollege of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao University, 308 Ningxia Road, Qingdao 266071, ChinaCollege of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao University, 308 Ningxia Road, Qingdao 266071, ChinaCollege of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Qingdao University, 308 Ningxia Road, Qingdao 266071, ChinaEffective thermal management of electronic modules is crucial to the reliable operation of variable frequency air conditioners. For this reason, two types of plate-finned heat sinks of electronic modules were selected. The experiments utilized ceramic heating plates to simulate chip heating, conducted in an enthalpy difference laboratory with controlled environments. Four installation cases were analyzed to evaluate the impact of heat sink orientation, airflow direction, and structural layout. The results showed that when multiple chips were arranged on the same heat dissipation substrate, the heat dissipation process of the chips would be coupled with each other, and the rational layout of the chips played an important role in heat dissipation. In the case of cooling air impacting the jet, the heat dissipation performance of the heat sink was significantly improved, and the heat transfer coefficient of the heat sink was as high as 316.5 W·m<sup>−2</sup>·°C<sup>−1</sup>, representing a 6.9% improvement over conventional designs (case I: 296.1 W·m⁻<sup>2</sup>·°C⁻<sup>1</sup>). The maximum temperature of the chips could be reduced by 11.1%, which is 10.1 °C lower. This study will provide a reference for the optimization design of the heat sink of the electric control module in inverter air conditioners.https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/10/2439plate-finned heat sinkheat transfer coefficientforced air coolingelectronic moduleheat dissipationvariable frequency air conditioner
spellingShingle Yi Peng
Su Du
Qingfeng Bie
Dechang Wang
Qinglu Song
Sai Zhou
Experimental and Numerical Study of the Heat Dissipation of the Electronic Module in an Air Conditioner Outdoor Unit
Energies
plate-finned heat sink
heat transfer coefficient
forced air cooling
electronic module
heat dissipation
variable frequency air conditioner
title Experimental and Numerical Study of the Heat Dissipation of the Electronic Module in an Air Conditioner Outdoor Unit
title_full Experimental and Numerical Study of the Heat Dissipation of the Electronic Module in an Air Conditioner Outdoor Unit
title_fullStr Experimental and Numerical Study of the Heat Dissipation of the Electronic Module in an Air Conditioner Outdoor Unit
title_full_unstemmed Experimental and Numerical Study of the Heat Dissipation of the Electronic Module in an Air Conditioner Outdoor Unit
title_short Experimental and Numerical Study of the Heat Dissipation of the Electronic Module in an Air Conditioner Outdoor Unit
title_sort experimental and numerical study of the heat dissipation of the electronic module in an air conditioner outdoor unit
topic plate-finned heat sink
heat transfer coefficient
forced air cooling
electronic module
heat dissipation
variable frequency air conditioner
url https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/18/10/2439
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AT dechangwang experimentalandnumericalstudyoftheheatdissipationoftheelectronicmoduleinanairconditioneroutdoorunit
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