{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132644"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132644","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Thermal design and solutions for handling heat loads in high-speed connectors for data centers","abstract":"The rapid growth of data transmission and power density in high-speed interconnects such as OSFP (Octal Small Form-Factor Pluggable) and QSFP (Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable) modules have made thermal management a critical design challenge. Although liquid cooling has emerged as a high-capacity alternative, its implementation at the connector level remains challenging due to system complexity, elevated cost, and potential reliability concerns. Consequently, this study focuses on enhancing air-cooled forced convection performance using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based modeling and experimental validation. A detailed 3-D numerical model was developed in Ansys Icepak Classic 2023 to simulate conjugate heat transfer within high-speed connector assemblies under realistic airflow and thermal conditions. The model accounted for conduction, convection, and fan-driven pressure differences corresponding to 3 inWC (≈ 746.5 Pa) system airflow. Multiple configurations, varying dividing floor geometry (solid vs. perforated), heat-sink placement (top, bottom, and inter-module), and cage ventilation (standard vs. vented), were examined for both OSFP 2×1 and QSFP 1×1 architectures. Model validation against experimental measurements demonstrated excellent agreement, with an error margin below ±5%. The results revealed that introducing a perforated dividing floor enhanced inter-module airflow mixing, lowering hotspot temperatures by 3-4 °C, while adding a bottom heat sink achieved an additional 6-8 °C reduction and decreased junction-to-ambient thermal resistance by approximately 13%. Relocating the bottom heat sink to an inter-module riding configuration improved temperature uniformity without compromising structural integrity and incorporating side and bottom cage vents provided a further 5-7 °C reduction through improved airflow distribution. For the QSFP 1×1 model, a vapor-chamber heat sink outperformed a traditional zipper-fin design, reducing peak temperature by 5-6 °C under 44 W load conditions. This research demonstrates that optimized air-cooling architectures can effectively manage thermal loads in high-power-density connector systems without transitioning to liquid cooling. The validated CFD framework offers a robust tool for future design optimization, transient analysis, and system-level integration of connector-cooling technologies in data-center applications.","abstract_html":"The rapid growth of data transmission and power density in high-speed interconnects such as OSFP (Octal Small Form-Factor Pluggable) and QSFP (Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable) modules have made thermal management a critical design challenge. Although liquid cooling has emerged as a high-capacity alternative, its implementation at the connector level remains challenging due to system complexity, elevated cost, and potential reliability concerns. Consequently, this study focuses on enhancing air-cooled forced convection performance using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based modeling and experimental validation. A detailed 3-D numerical model was developed in Ansys Icepak Classic 2023 to simulate conjugate heat transfer within high-speed connector assemblies under realistic airflow and thermal conditions. The model accounted for conduction, convection, and fan-driven pressure differences corresponding to 3 inWC (≈ 746.5 Pa) system airflow. Multiple configurations, varying dividing floor geometry (solid vs. perforated), heat-sink placement (top, bottom, and inter-module), and cage ventilation (standard vs. vented), were examined for both OSFP 2×1 and QSFP 1×1 architectures. Model validation against experimental measurements demonstrated excellent agreement, with an error margin below ±5%. The results revealed that introducing a perforated dividing floor enhanced inter-module airflow mixing, lowering hotspot temperatures by 3-4 °C, while adding a bottom heat sink achieved an additional 6-8 °C reduction and decreased junction-to-ambient thermal resistance by approximately 13%. Relocating the bottom heat sink to an inter-module riding configuration improved temperature uniformity without compromising structural integrity and incorporating side and bottom cage vents provided a further 5-7 °C reduction through improved airflow distribution. For the QSFP 1×1 model, a vapor-chamber heat sink outperformed a traditional zipper-fin design, reducing peak temperature by 5-6 °C under 44 W load conditions. This research demonstrates that optimized air-cooling architectures can effectively manage thermal loads in high-power-density connector systems without transitioning to liquid cooling. The validated CFD framework offers a robust tool for future design optimization, transient analysis, and system-level integration of connector-cooling technologies in data-center applications.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Maruf, Tayfur Rahman"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Mechanical Engineering","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Miljkovic, Nenad"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12","date_published":"2025-12","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:07Z","subjects":["High-speed connectors","OSFP","QSFP","thermal management","air cooling","heat sink optimization","CFD","Ansys Icepak."],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Tayfur Rahman Maruf"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132644","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Miljkovic, Nenad"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Maruf, Tayfur Rahman"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-12","2025-11-24"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Mechanical Engineering"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["High-speed connectors","OSFP","QSFP","thermal management","air cooling","heat sink optimization","CFD","Ansys Icepak."]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Tayfur Rahman Maruf"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132644"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["The rapid growth of data transmission and power density in high-speed interconnects such as OSFP (Octal Small Form-Factor Pluggable) and QSFP (Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable) modules have made thermal management a critical design challenge. Although liquid cooling has emerged as a high-capacity alternative, its implementation at the connector level remains challenging due to system complexity, elevated cost, and potential reliability concerns. Consequently, this study focuses on enhancing air-cooled forced convection performance using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based modeling and experimental validation. A detailed 3-D numerical model was developed in Ansys Icepak Classic 2023 to simulate conjugate heat transfer within high-speed connector assemblies under realistic airflow and thermal conditions. The model accounted for conduction, convection, and fan-driven pressure differences corresponding to 3 inWC (≈ 746.5 Pa) system airflow. Multiple configurations, varying dividing floor geometry (solid vs. perforated), heat-sink placement (top, bottom, and inter-module), and cage ventilation (standard vs. vented), were examined for both OSFP 2×1 and QSFP 1×1 architectures. Model validation against experimental measurements demonstrated excellent agreement, with an error margin below ±5%. The results revealed that introducing a perforated dividing floor enhanced inter-module airflow mixing, lowering hotspot temperatures by 3-4 °C, while adding a bottom heat sink achieved an additional 6-8 °C reduction and decreased junction-to-ambient thermal resistance by approximately 13%. Relocating the bottom heat sink to an inter-module riding configuration improved temperature uniformity without compromising structural integrity and incorporating side and bottom cage vents provided a further 5-7 °C reduction through improved airflow distribution. For the QSFP 1×1 model, a vapor-chamber heat sink outperformed a traditional zipper-fin design, reducing peak temperature by 5-6 °C under 44 W load conditions. This research demonstrates that optimized air-cooling architectures can effectively manage thermal loads in high-power-density connector systems without transitioning to liquid cooling. The validated CFD framework offers a robust tool for future design optimization, transient analysis, and system-level integration of connector-cooling technologies in data-center applications.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-12-01","The student, Tayfur Rahman Maruf, accepted the attached license on 2025-11-19 at 09:18.","The student, Tayfur Rahman Maruf, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-11-19 at 09:39.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-11-24 at 14:56.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22893 on 2026-02-19 at 18:45:44"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Thermal design and solutions for handling heat loads in high-speed connectors for data centers"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Miljkovic, Nenad"],"dc:creator":["Maruf, Tayfur Rahman"],"dc:date":["2025-12","2025-11-24"],"dc:description":["The rapid growth of data transmission and power density in high-speed interconnects such as OSFP (Octal Small Form-Factor Pluggable) and QSFP (Quad Small Form-Factor Pluggable) modules have made thermal management a critical design challenge. Although liquid cooling has emerged as a high-capacity alternative, its implementation at the connector level remains challenging due to system complexity, elevated cost, and potential reliability concerns. Consequently, this study focuses on enhancing air-cooled forced convection performance using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) based modeling and experimental validation. A detailed 3-D numerical model was developed in Ansys Icepak Classic 2023 to simulate conjugate heat transfer within high-speed connector assemblies under realistic airflow and thermal conditions. The model accounted for conduction, convection, and fan-driven pressure differences corresponding to 3 inWC (≈ 746.5 Pa) system airflow. Multiple configurations, varying dividing floor geometry (solid vs. perforated), heat-sink placement (top, bottom, and inter-module), and cage ventilation (standard vs. vented), were examined for both OSFP 2×1 and QSFP 1×1 architectures. Model validation against experimental measurements demonstrated excellent agreement, with an error margin below ±5%. The results revealed that introducing a perforated dividing floor enhanced inter-module airflow mixing, lowering hotspot temperatures by 3-4 °C, while adding a bottom heat sink achieved an additional 6-8 °C reduction and decreased junction-to-ambient thermal resistance by approximately 13%. Relocating the bottom heat sink to an inter-module riding configuration improved temperature uniformity without compromising structural integrity and incorporating side and bottom cage vents provided a further 5-7 °C reduction through improved airflow distribution. For the QSFP 1×1 model, a vapor-chamber heat sink outperformed a traditional zipper-fin design, reducing peak temperature by 5-6 °C under 44 W load conditions. This research demonstrates that optimized air-cooling architectures can effectively manage thermal loads in high-power-density connector systems without transitioning to liquid cooling. The validated CFD framework offers a robust tool for future design optimization, transient analysis, and system-level integration of connector-cooling technologies in data-center applications.","Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-12-01","The student, Tayfur Rahman Maruf, accepted the attached license on 2025-11-19 at 09:18.","The student, Tayfur Rahman Maruf, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-11-19 at 09:39.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-11-24 at 14:56.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #22893 on 2026-02-19 at 18:45:44"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132644"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Tayfur Rahman Maruf"],"dc:subject":["High-speed connectors","OSFP","QSFP","thermal management","air cooling","heat sink optimization","CFD","Ansys Icepak."],"dc:title":["Thermal design and solutions for handling heat loads in high-speed connectors for data centers"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Mechanical Engineering"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:07Z"}