Zoned topology optimization of double-sided liquid-cooled microchannel heat sinks for the thermal management of SiC IGBT modules

Silicon carbide insulated gate bipolar transistor (SiC IGBT) modules operating in dual-bridge-arm alternating mode confront severe thermal management challenges—extremely high local heat fluxes, spatially non-uniform temperature distribution, and multiple isolated hotspots. To address these challenges, this study proposes a novel zoned double-sided liquid cooling architecture—co-designed with zonal topology optimization—that is specifically tailored to the structural and thermal constraints of this packaged SiC IGBT module. Microchannel heat sinks (MCHSs) are integrated on both module surfaces, with each design domain partitioned into three functionally distinct zones: an inlet zone, a high-temperature design domain, and an outlet design domain. The inlet zone governs uniform flow distribution; the high-temperature design domain takes the maximum reduction as the primary optimization objective; and the outlet design domain balances global cooling performance and pumping power. Numerical simulations were performed in ANSYS FLUENT to characterize the flow field uniformity, temperature distribution, thermal resistance, and thermomechanical stress distribution within the IGBT module under rated operating conditions. Results demonstrate that the zonally topology-optimized MCHSs achieve a 114–187% improvement in the overall thermal performance factor relative to the conventional straight-channel MCHS. Specifically, the TOPO_20 (featuring a 20 mm-wide high-temperature core region) reduces the average IGBT model temperature by 3.62 K, the average SiC junction temperature by 6.41 K, and the peak thermomechanical stress within the module package by 72.76 MPa. The topology-optimized MCHSs enhance convective heat transfer by optimizing flow uniformity and extending the flow paths, providing a targeted solution for multi-heat-source IGBT modules.