Simulation of Single-Phase Laser Diode Cooler

Abstract

High powered laser weapons require high performance thermal management. This report examines the heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of a water cooled laser diode array. It begins with a plane channel and examines how changes in geometry and flow affect the heat transfer and pressure drop performance of the cooler. The simulations show the capabilities of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) in single phase flow and the performance of water as a coolant (60 W/cm2). Reducing channel thickness to increase flow velocity is shown to have a minimal effect on heat transfer. Adding fins to redirect flow to impinge on the hot surface is shown to increase heat transfer coefficient and reduce surface temperature. These simulations lay the groundwork for future analysis and design for laser diode cooling simulations and experiments.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 2019
Accession Number
AD1085942

Entities

People

  • Michael Seibert

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Coefficients
  • Computational Fluid Dynamics
  • Cooling
  • Flow
  • Flow Rate
  • Fluid Dynamics
  • Geometry
  • Heat Exchangers
  • Heat Flux
  • Heat Transfer
  • Heat Transfer Coefficients
  • Laser Diodes
  • Laser Weapons
  • Lasers
  • Low Temperature
  • Mass Flow
  • Thickness

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Combustion and Flow Dynamics.
  • Optical Physics and Photonics.

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy