Numerical Investigation of Flow and Heat Transfer in a Spider-Web-Inspired Microchannel Heat Sink

To address the thermal management challenges associated with localized high heat flux in electronic chips, this study proposes a bionic spider-web microchannel heat sink using deionized water as the coolant. Numerical simulations are conducted for two configurations, one with pinfins at the hotspot (Model A) and one without pinfins (Model B). The effects of Reynolds number and hotspot heat flux on flow distribution, pumping power, thermal resistance and temperature uniformity are systematically analyzed. Results show that the flow distribution varies significantly among channels, with higher flow rates near the inlet. Increasing the Reynolds number raises pumping power but reduces thermal resistance and improves hotspot temperature uniformity. Varying the heat flux variation has little effect on pumping power and thermal resistance; nevertheless, higher heat flux values lead to an increases in the temperature difference across the hotspot, worsening uniformity. The pinfin structure enhances local heat transfer, strengthens hotspot cooling and improves overall temperature uniformity. It is shown that a spider-web heat sink can effectively manage a heat flux as high as 480 W/cm², thereby demonstrating its potential for next-generation high-power electronics cooling.