International Journal of Applied Engineering Research ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 11, Number 5 (2016) pp 3294-3298
© Research India Publications. http://www.ripublication.com
A Study on the Thermal Performance of Automotive LED Head Lamps
with Synthetic Jet
S. W. Jang
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kongju National University,
Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea.
Y. L. Lee*
Dept. of Mechanical & Automotive Engineering, Kongju National University,
Gongju-si, Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea.
Abstract
LED head lamps have a longer lifespan and better luminous
efficacy compared to halogen bulbs. Recently, heat dissipation
has emerged as an important issue due to the high power and
more compact sizes of LED head lamps. This study adopted a
forced cooling method using synthetic jet and optimized the
thermal performance of LED head lamps by varying the shape
of heat sinks and the types of PCBs. As a result, the optimal
thermal performance of automotive LED head lamps was
achieved with a two-sided PCB and an optimal heat sink
design.
Keywords: LED Head lamp, Synthetic jet, Heat sink,
Junction temperature, Numerical analysis
Introduction
Automotive LED head lamps have a longer lifespan and better
luminous efficacy compared to halogen bulbs. The
replacement of halogen bulbs with LEDs will save a
significant amount of energy. Given the growing preference
for LEDs over halogen bulbs, automobiles are being equipped
with LED head lamps.
LEDs generate light energy by using 20 to 30% of input
power and converting the remaining 70 to 80% to heat. The
generated heat raises the temperature at the junction of LED
and PCB[1]. The excess heat results in a lower luminous
efficacy, the degradation of LED chips[2], short-circuit
failure, and the separation of connections, which ultimately
shorten the overall lifespan. To prevent these problems, it is
necessary to ensure a high thermal performance when using
LED head lamps.
Extensive research has been conducted to enhance the thermal
performance of LED headlights for high-efficiency
automobiles. Yung et al.[3] optimized the thermal
performance of an LED array package by using computational
fluid dynamics and provided experimental validation. Jung et
al.[4] developed LED headlights to replace existing
automotive halogen bulbs. They presented an optimal thermal
system through numerical analysis, and provided experimental
validation by using prototypes. Jeong et al.[5] designed an
optimal heat sink for the efficient cooling of the junction
temperature of an LED module, and enhanced the cooling
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performance by improving the heat flow rate of horizontal
fins. Christensen et al.[6] modified a high-power LED
package array to optimize the performance, and selected a
ceramic packaging architecture to lower thermal resistance.
Wang et al.[7] applied thermoelectric cooling to automotive
LED head lamps. They optimized the thermal performance by
using a thermoelectric cooling device and a cooling fan. Kim
et al.[8] improved the thermal performance by adding heat
pipes to an LED package. They found that thermal resistance
increases with input power and ambient temperature, but
decreases with wind velocity. In addition, they presented a
model based on a parallel circuit system and compared the
analysis results to experimental data.
Previous research on LED was mostly aimed at improving
thermal performance for relatively low power headlights.
However, the recent increase in demand for high-output LED
headlights has led to a higher input power, which has caused
problems in heat dissipation given the limited space for
installation in automobiles. Against this backdrop, this study
adopted a synthetic jet to improve the thermal performance of
high-output LED head lamps and performed the optimization
of PCB and heat sinks by using CFD. The critical junction
temperature was set as 110oC [4].
Numerical Analysis
Three heat sink designs were considered in this study.
Numerical analysis was performed to predict the junction
temperature in relation to the heat sink design. As shown in
Fig. 1, model 1 had a fin thickness of 1 mm, and a 3.3mm gap
between the fins. Model 2 used helical fins with the same fin
thickness to increase the heat transfer area. Model 3 involved
fins with a thickness of 1.5mm and a gap of 2.8mm between
the fins. Fig. 2 shows the 3D synthetic jet model of model 1.
The mass flow outlet of synthetic jet was matched to the gap
between the fins to facilitate air flow. As shown in Fig. 2, a
two-sided model was considered to further lower the junction
temperature. The angle between PCB surfaces was assumed to
be 120o. Numerical analysis was conducted with Ansys Fluent
V14[9]. Both forced and natural convection were taken into
account in the analysis. The other conditions included a heat
generation rate of 19.2W by LED, a thermal resistance of
0.8oC/W at the junction of LED and PCB, an emissivity of
 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 11, Number 5 (2016) pp 3294-3298
© Research India Publications. http://www.ripublication.com

0.7, and a temperature of 25oC. The synthetic jet flow rates Figure 2: Schematic diagram of the synthetic jet model
were 0.0005 kg/s, 0.00075 kg/s, and 0.001 kg/s, respectively.

(a) Model 1

(b) Model 2

Figure 3: Schematic diagram of the two-sided PCB

(c) Model 3
Results and Discussion
Figure 1: Schematic diagram of the heat sink model Thermal analysis of the head lamp under natural convection
This study first examined the thermal performance of the head
lamp under natural convection without synthetic jet. Fig. 4
shows the temperature distribution for each of the three
models. The temperature distribution is similar across the
models, but the best junction temperature was achieved by
model 1.
As shown in Table 1, model 2 had the greatest heat transfer
area. This indicates that the plate fins of model 1 have a
smoother flow than the helical fins of model 2. The thermal
performance of heat sinks is influenced not only by the heat
transfer area, but also by the flow rate in the area surrounding
the fins.

Table 1: Heat transfer area and mass by model

Models Heat transfer area Mass

Model 1 0.035 m2 0.055 kg
Model 2 0.037 m2 0.051 kg
Model 3 0.019 m2 0.106 kg

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 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 11, Number 5 (2016) pp 3294-3298
© Research India Publications. http://www.ripublication.com

Thermal analysis of the head lamp under forced convection

Synthetic jet was applied to each heat sink to determine if
there is an improvement in thermal performance. Fig. 5
presents the junction temperature of each model under a
synthetic jet flow rate of 0.0005kg/s. The junction temperature
was 107.4oC for model 1, 112.1oC for model 2, and 117.7oC
for model 3. Model 1, which had the best thermal
performance, was the only model that satisfies the critical
junction temperature. For model 1, the junction temperature
under a synthetic jet flow rate of 0.0005kg/s was lower than
that of natural convection by approximately 35oC.
Next, the effect of mass flow rate of the synthetic jet on
thermal performance was studied. Fig. 6 shows the junction
temperature of each model in relation to changes in the mass
flow rate of synthetic jet. With an increasing mass flow rate,
the junction temperature tends to decrease linearly. For model
1, when using synthetic jet with a flow rate of 0.001kg/s, the
junction temperature can be lowered up to 93.6oC.

Figure 5: Junction temperature of each model under

synthetic jet

Figure 6: Junction temperature of each model with a varying

mass flow rate of synthetic jet
Figure 4: Temperature contour for each model during natural
convection

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 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 11, Number 5 (2016) pp 3294-3298
© Research India Publications. http://www.ripublication.com

Thermal analysis of the two-sided head lamp with synthetic

jet
Fig. 7 shows the streaklines of the two-sided headlamp with
synthetic jet. In Fig. 7(a), the streaklines head upward due to
the effect of natural convection immediately after passing the
heat sink. In Fig. 7(b) and (c), the streaklines flow smoothly
by following the heat sink and PCB as the synthetic jet flow
rate increases. As such, a higher synthetic jet flow rate is
expected to enhance the cooling effect.
Changes in the junction temperature of the two-sided LED
head lamp were also examined in relation to the flow rate of
synthetic jet. As shown in Fig. 8, the junction temperature
drops with an increasing synthetic jet flow rate. When the
synthetic jet flow rate is 0.001kg/s, the junction temperature
decreases up to 90oC, which is approximately 20oC lower than
the critical junction temperature. The junction temperature
was improved over that of the one-sided PCB model by 3.4oC.

Figure 7: Streaklines of the two-sided PCB model under

synthetic jet

Figure 8: Junction temperature of the two-sided head lamp

with a varying mass flow rate of synthetic jet

Conclusion
To improve the thermal performance of high-output LED
head lamps, this study optimized various components such as
the synthetic jet, PCB, LED module, and heat sinks. The
analysis of this study led to the following conclusions:
1. For natural convection, model 1 had the best junction
temperature of 142.6oC, but failed to satisfy the critical
junction temperature. The head lamp considered in this
study cannot achieve optimal thermal performance
without forced convection.
2. When using synthetic jet, the junction temperature
decreases linearly with the synthetic jet flow rate. Model
1 satisfied the critical junction temperature with a
junction temperature of 93.6oC.
3. A two-sided PCB head lamp was introduced to further
enhance the cooling efficiency, and the junction
temperature improved down to 90.2oC. The combination

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 International Journal of Applied Engineering Research ISSN 0973-4562 Volume 11, Number 5 (2016) pp 3294-3298
© Research India Publications. http://www.ripublication.com

of synthetic jet, two-sided PCB and model 1 had the

junction temperature lowered by approximately 20oC.

As future work, prototypes of the proposed LED head lamp

need to be manufactured to validate the thermal performance.

Acknowledgement
This work was supported by the Human Resources
Development program(No. 20154030200940) of the Korea
Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and
Planning(KETEP) grant funded by the Korea government
Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

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