Heat Transfer Analyses of a Handset Using Phase Change Material (PCM) for Transient Thermal Management

Even as features are added and enhanced on portable electronic devices communicating with wireless networks, e.g., cellular phones, packaging advances continue to reduce their size. The increasing power densities which result demand novel thermal management solutions. Designing thermal management systems to accommodate steady state conditions as opposed to fixed duty cycles and/or peak thermal loads as opposed to normal thermal loads can substantially increase their cost, size, and weight. The results of an experimental program to evaluate the feasibility of the transient thermal management of handsets using Phase Change Materials (PCMs) are presented.