Thermal optimization of plate-fin heat sinks with fins of variable thickness under natural convection

In this study, thermal performance of a vertical plate-fin heat sink under natural convection was optimized for the case in which the fin thickness varied in the direction normal to the fluid flow. For this optimization, the averaging approach presented in an earlier paper for the case of the heat sinks under forced convection was extended to study the performance of heat sinks under natural convection. In the case of an air-cooled heat sink, the thermal resistance decreases by up to 10% when the fin thickness is allowed to increase in the direction normal to the fluid flow. However, the difference between the thermal resistances of heat sinks with uniform thickness and the heat sinks with variable thickness decreases as the height decreases and as the heat flux decreases.     

Heat transfer correlations for PCM-based heat sinks with plate fins

Characterization of melting process in a Phase Change Material (PCM)-based heat sink with plate fin type thermal conductivity enhancers (TCEs) is numerically studied in this paper. Detailed parametric investigations are performed to find the effect of aspect ratio of enclosure and the applied heat flux on the thermal performance of the heat sinks. Various non-dimensional numbers, such as Nusselt number (Nu), Rayleigh number (Ra), Stefan number (Ste) and Fourier number (Fo) based on a characteristic length scale, are identified as important parameters. The half fin thickness and the fin height are varied to obtain a wide range of aspect ratios of an enclosure. It is found that a single correlation of Nu with Ra is not applicable for all aspect ratios of enclosure with melt convection taken into account. To find appropriate length scales, enclosures with different aspect ratios are divided into three categories, viz. (a) shallow enclosure, (b) rectangular enclosure and (c) tall enclosure. Accordingly, an appropriate characteristic length scale is identified for each type of enclosure and correlation of Nu with Ra based on that characteristic length scale is developed.     

Heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics of very compact heat sinks with plate fins cooled by jets

High-performance and very compact heat sinks have been developed for effective cooling of VLSIs with high heat-generation densities. Their heat transfer and pressure loss characteristics in air-jet cooling have been experimentally studied. The highly compact heat sinks were plate-fin arrays with a very small fin pitch of 0.4–2.0 mm. The rectangular jet nozzle width that gave the highest cooling performance was 30 to 40% of the streamwise length of the heat sinks. The influence of fin height on heat transfer became weak when the ratio of the height to the thickness of the fin exceeded approximately 35. When the air flow rate was constant, the thermal conductance increased as the fin pitch decreased. For a constant fin pitch, heat sinks with smaller fin thickness showed larger thermal conductance at a given blower power consumption. In our experimental range, the heat dissipation rate per unit heat sink volume increased as the base plate area of the heat sink became small. © 1998 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Jpn Res, 27(6): 399–414, 1998     

A numerical model for heat sinks with phase change materials and thermal conductivity enhancers

The effectiveness of thermal conductivity enhancers (TCEs) in improving the overall thermal conductance of phase change materials (PCMs) used in cooling of electronics is investigated numerically. With respect to the distribution of TCE and PCM materials, the heat sink designs are classified into two types. The first type of heat sink has the PCM distributed uniformly in a porous TCE matrix, and the second kind has PCM with fins made of TCE material. A transient finite volume method is used to model the heat transfer; phase change and fluid flow in both cases. A generalized enthalpy based formulation and numerical model are used for simulating phase change processes in the two cases. The performance of heat sinks with various volume fractions of TCE for different configurations is studied with respect to the variation of heat source (or chip) temperature with time; melt fraction and dimensionless temperature difference within the PCM. Results illustrate significant effect of the thermal conductivity enhancer on the performance of heat sinks.     

Measurement of performance of plate-fin heat sinks with cross flow cooling

This work assesses the performance of plate-fin heat sinks in a cross flow. The effects of the Reynolds number of the cooling air, the fin height and the fin width on the thermal resistance and the pressure drop of heat sinks are considered. Experimental results indicate that increasing the Reynolds number can reduce the thermal resistance of the heat sink. However, the reduction of the thermal resistance tends to become smaller as the Reynolds number increases. Additionally, enhancement of heat transfer by the heat sink is limited when the Reynolds number reaches a particular value. Therefore, a preferred Reynolds number can be chosen to reduce the pumping power. For a given fin width, the thermal performance of the heat sink with the highest fins exceeds that of the others, because the former has the largest heat transfer area. For a given fin height, the optimal fin width in terms of thermal performance increases with Reynolds number. As the fins become wider, the flow passages in the heat sink become constricted. As the fins become narrower, the heat transfer area of the heat sink declines. Both conditions reduce the heat transfer of the heat sink. Furthermore, different fin widths are required at different Reynolds numbers to minimize the thermal resistance.     

Single-Phase Cryogenic Flow and Heat Transfer Through Microscale Pin Fin Heat Sinks

Single-phase heat transfer and pressure drop of liquid nitrogen in microscale heat sinks are studied experimentally in this paper. Effects of geometrical variations are characterized on the thermofluidic performance of staggered microscale pin fin heat sinks. Pitch-to-diameter ratio and aspect ratio of the micro pin fins are varied. The pin fins have square shape with 200 or 400 μm width and are oriented at 45 degrees to the flow direction. Thermal performance of the heat sinks is evaluated for Reynolds numbers (based on pin fin hydraulic diameter) from 108 to 570. Results are presented in a nondimensional form in terms of friction factor, Nusselt number, and Reynolds number and are compared with the predictions of existing correlations in the literature for micro pin fin heat sinks. Comparison of flow and heat transfer performance of the micro pin fin heat sinks reveals that at a particular critical Reynolds number of ～250, pin fin heat sinks with the same aspect ratio but larger pitch ratio show a transition in both friction factor and Nusselt number. In order to better characterize this transition, visualization experiments were performed with the Fluorinert PF5060 using an infrared camera. At the critical Reynolds number, for the larger pitch ratio pin fin heat sink, surface thermal intensity profiles suggest periodic flapping of the flow behind the pin fins at a Strouhal number of 0.227.     

Optimization of heat sink geometries for impingement air-cooling of LSI packages

This paper describes the use of our previous study's prediction procedures for calculating thermal resistance and pressure drop. The procedures are used in the optimization of heat sink geometries for impingement air-cooling of LSI packages. Two types of heat sinks are considered: ones with longitudinal fins and ones with pin fins. We optimized the heat sink geometries by evaluating 16 parameters simultaneously. The parameters included fin thickness, spacing, and height. For the longitudinal fins, the optimal fin thicknesses were found to be between 0.12 and 0.15 mm, depending on which of the four types of fans were used. For pin fins, the optimal pin diameters were between 0.39 and 0.40 mm. Under constant pumping power, the optimal thermal resistance of the longitudinal fins was about 60% that of the pin fins. For both types of heat sinks, the optimal thermal resistance for four off-the-shelf fans was only slightly (maximum about 1%) higher than the theoretical optimum for the same pumping power. When manufacturing cost performance is considered, the most economical fin thickness and diameter are about 5 to 10 times higher than the optimal values calculated without respect for manufacturing costs. These values almost correspond to the actual limits of extrusion and press heat-sink manufacturing processes. © 1999 Scripta Technica, Heat Trans Asian Res, 28(2): 138–151, 1999     

Development of a theoretical model for predicting the thermal performance characteristics of a vertical pin-fin array heat sink under combined forced and natural convection with impinging flow

A comprehensive theoretical and experimental study was carried out on the thermal performance of a pin-fin heat sink. A theoretical model was formulated that has the capability of predicting the influence of various geometrical, thermal, and flow parameters on the effective thermal resistance of the heat sink. An experimental technique was developed for measuring the thermal performance of the heat sink, and the overall convective heat transfer coefficient for the fin bundle. Experiments were carried out, and correlations obtained, for a wide range of parameters for pure natural convection and for combined forced and natural convection. The predictive capability of the theoretical model was verified by comparison with experimental data including the influence of various fin parameters and the existence of an optimum fin spacing.     

Thermal analysis of CPU with CCC and copper base plate heat sinks using CFD

This paper describes experimental and theoretical investigations of heat sinks with different base plate material mounted on CPUs. The thermal model of the computer system with heat sinks which is created using Gambit (for preprocessing) and the simulation is carried out using Fluent (for solver execution and post processing). The following parameters are considered: fin thickness, fin height, and number of fins. Primarily in this paper different base plate thickness and base plate materials are optimized for maintaining the cost and thermal performance of a heat sink. In this research work, the thermal model of the computer system with a slot parallel plate fin heat sink design has been selected, and the fluid flow and thermal flow characteristics of heat sinks are studied. The slot parallel plate fin heat sinks have been used with copper base plates and carbon carbon composite (CCC) base plates to enhance the heat dissipation. The results and conclusion obtained in this present work are found to be in good agreement with numerical results. A complete computer chassis with slot parallel plate heat sinks is investigated varying the thickness of base plate, and the performances of the heat sinks are compared. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj ). DOI 10.1002/htj.20342     

Optimization of Microchannel Heat Sinks Using Genetic Algorithm

In this study, a genetic algorithm is employed to minimize the entropy generation rate in microchannel heat sinks. The entropy generation rate allows the combined effects of thermal performance and pressure drop to be assessed simultaneously as the heat sink interacts with the surrounding flow field. Previously developed models for the heat transfer, pressure drop and entropy generation rate are used in the optimization procedure. The results of optimization are compared with existing results obtained by the Newton–Raphson method. It is observed that the GA gives better overall performance of the microchannel heat sinks.     

Numerical Investigation of PCM Based Heat Sinks with Embedded Metal Foam/Crossed Plate Fins

Three-dimensional numerical models for phase change material based heat sinks equipped with thermal conductivity enhancers like aluminum metal foam and crossed plate fins are validated with the experimental data found in literature. For the aluminum metal foam embedded in the heat sink filled with phase change material, the porosity and the pores per inch of the metal foam were varied and natural convection currents were studied. Maintaining the volume fraction of the phase change material as a constant, the thermal performance enhancement as a result of the introduction of thermal conductivity enhancer into the heat sinks is determined.     

Experimental investigations on phase change material based finned heat sinks for electronic equipment cooling

This paper reports the results of an experimental investigation of the performance of finned heat sinks filled with phase change materials for thermal management of portable electronic devices. The phase change material (PCM) used in this study is n-eicosane and is placed inside a heat sink made of aluminium. Aluminium acts as thermal conductivity enhancer (TCE), as the thermal conductivity of the PCM is very low. The heat sink acts as an energy storage and a heat-spreading module. Studies are conducted for heat sinks on which a uniform heat load is applied for the unfinned and finned cases. The test section considered in all cases in the present work is a 80 × 62 mm² base with TCE height of 25 mm. A 60 × 42 mm² plate heater with 2 mm thickness is used to mimic the heat generation in electronic chips. Heat sinks with pin fin and plate fin geometries having the same volume fraction of the TCE are used. The effect of different types of fins for different power level (ranging from 2 to 7 W) in enhancing the operating time for different set point temperatures and on the duration of latent heating phase were explored in this study. The results indicate that the operational performance of portable electronic device can be significantly improved by the use of fins in heat sinks filled with PCM.     

Heat transfer and pressure drop in laterally perforated-finned heat sinks across different flow regimes

Experiments were performed to investigate pressure drop and forced convection heat transfer from laterally perforated-finned heat sinks (LA-PFHSs) across a wide range of flow regimes ranging from laminar to turbulent. Perforations with square cross sections were implemented equidistantly along the lateral surfaces of the fins. Results were compared with those of the solid-finned heat sink (SFHS) that was used as the base of comparisons. Thermal-fluid characteristics were investigated under the changes in both perforation size and porosity. The pressure drag in LA-PFHSs was found as the dominant component of the total drag compared with the friction drag. Thermal performances of LA-PFHSs were categorized into three types of industrial demands that require overall colder heat sinks, more uniform temperature heat sinks, and lighter heat sinks. For this purpose, three performance parameters were defined, and each performance parameter was associated to a specific category of industrial demand. It was found that if the optimum range of porosities is obtained at a given perforation size, LA-PFHSs lower both thermal resistance and temperature non-uniformity across the heat sink base without increasing the pumping power. The excellent advantage of LA-PFHSs in weight sensitive applications was demonstrated through a new performance parameter as the mass-based thermal resistance, and 41–51% lower mass-based thermal resistance compared with that of the SFHS was achieved using LA-PFHSs with the maximum porosity, without increasing the pumping power.     

Least-energy optimization of air-cooled heat sinks for sustainability-theory,geometry and material selection

The design and use of heat sinks, which are compatible with sustainable development, involves a subtle balance between a superior thermal design, minimum material consumption, and minimum pumping power. Due to the rapid proliferation of electronic systems, substantial material streams, energy consumption, and entropy generation rates are associated with the cooling of computers, as well as other categories of electronic equipment. This presentation reviews the theory underpinning the least-energy optimization of natural and forced convection air cooled heat sinks, using the total coefficient of performance, relating the cooling capability to the energy invested in the operation and fabrication of the heat sink, as the sustainability ‘metric’. Particular attentions is devoted to the determination of the most favorable fin and channel aspect ratios for plate and pin fin arrays, the allocation of available energy between fabrication and operation, and the selection of fin material, for both natural and forced convection air-cooled heat sinks.     

Thermal performance of plate-fin vapor chamber heat sinks

Since vapor chambers exhibit excellent thermal performance, they are suited to use as bases of heat sinks. This work experimentally studies the thermal performance of plate-fin vapor chamber heat sinks using infrared thermography. The effects of the width, height and number of fins and of the Reynolds number on the thermal performance are considered. Experimental data are compared with corresponding data for conventional aluminum heat sinks. The results show that generated heat is transferred more uniformly to the base plate by a vapor chamber heat sink than by a similar aluminum heat sink. Therefore, the maximum temperature is effectively reduced. The overall thermal resistance of the vapor chamber heat sink declines as the Reynolds number increases, but the strength of the effect falls. The effect of the fin dimensions on the thermal performance is stronger at a lower Reynolds number. At a low Reynolds number, a suitable number of fins must be chosen to ensure favorable thermal performance of the vapor chamber heat sink. However, at a high Reynolds number, the thermal performance improves as the fin number increases.     

Analysis of the Transient Single-Phase Thermal Performance of Micro-Channel Heat Sinks

The objective of this study is to examine the transient single-phase thermal behavior of micro-channel heat sinks during startup and over a short-duration power surge, and to investigate the effects of property and geometry parameters on this behavior. The transient analysis required the solution of three-dimensional conjugate heat transfer in the heat sink. These solutions were obtained numerically using the finite control-volume method and the numerical accuracy of the results was carefully assessed. Accuracy of the numerical model was validated by comparisons with available experimental data. The behavior of heat sinks with different values for the fin width, channel width, material thickness between the top of the channels and top of the heat sink, and different sink materials was examined during startup from a uniform initial temperature with a uniform input heat flux, followed by a short-duration power surge from the steady-state condition. It is concluded that increasing the fin width or channel width increases the steady-state and maximum transient temperatures in the solid, and that increasing the material thickness between the heat-sink channels and the chip or using a material with larger density and specific heat increases the transient period and lowers the maximum transient temperature in the solid during the power surge.     

Numerical investigation of a PCM-based heat sink with internal fins: Constant heat flux

Melting of a phase change material (PCM) is studied in a heat sink with vertical internal fins and a horizontal base to which a constant heat flux is applied. The phase change material is stored between the fins. A detailed parametric investigation explores various fin height and thickness, PCM layer thickness, and applied heat flux. Transient numerical simulations are performed using the Fluent 6 software. The results show how the transient phase change process depends on the heat flux from the base, heat capacity of the PCM, and fin dimensions. Dimensional analysis of the results is performed, and the generalized results are presented in terms of the melt fractions and Nusselt numbers vs. the Fourier, Stefan and Rayleigh numbers.     

Multi-objective thermal design optimization and comparative analysis of electronics cooling technologies

A multi-objective thermal design optimization and comparative study of electronics cooling technologies is presented. The cooling technologies considered are: continuous parallel micro-channel heat sinks, in-line and staggered circular pin-fin heat sinks, offset strip fin heat sinks, and single and multiple submerged impinging jet(s). Using water and HFE-7000 as coolants, Matlab’s multi-objective genetic algorithm functions were utilized to determine the optimal thermal design of each technology based on the total thermal resistance and pumping power consumption under constant pressure drop and heat source base area of 100 mm². Plots of the Pareto front indicate a trade-off between the total thermal resistance and pumping power consumption. In general, the offset strip fin heat sink outperforms the other cooling technologies.     

The heat transfer characteristics of liquid cooling heat sink with micro pin fins

This paper numerically and experimentally investigated the liquid cooling efficiency of heat sinks containing micro pin fins. Aluminum prototypes of heat sink with micro pin fin were fabricated to explore the flow and thermal performance. The main geometry parameters included the diameter of micro pin fin and porosity of fin array. The effects of the geometrical parameters and pressure drop on the heat transfer performance of the heat sink were studied. In the experiments, the heat flux from base of heat sink was set as 300 kW/m². The pressure drop between the inlet and the outlet of heat sink was set < 3000 Pa. Numerical simulations with similar flow and thermal conditions were conducted to estimate the flow patterns, the effective thermal resistance. It was found that the effective thermal resistance would reach an optimum value for various pressure drops. It was also noted that the effective thermal resistance was not sensitive to porosity for sparsely packed pin fins.     

Effects of fin shapes on heat transfer in microchannel heat sinks

In the present study, compact water cooling of high‐density, high‐speed, very‐large‐scale integrated (VLSI) circuits with the help of microchannel heat exchangers were investigated analytically. This study also presents the result of mathematical analysis based on the modified Bessel function of laminar fluid flow and heat transfer through combined conduction and convection in a microchannel heat sink with triangular extensions. The main purpose of this paper is to find the dimensions of a heat sink that give the least thermal resistance between the fluid and the heat sink, and the results are compared with that of rectangular fins. It is seen that the triangular heat sink requires less substrate material as compared to rectangular fins, and the heat transfer rate per unit volume has been almost doubled by using triangular heat sinks. It is also found that the effectiveness of the triangular fin is higher than that of the rectangular fin. Therefore, the triangular heat sink has the ability to dissipate large amounts of heat with relatively less temperature rise for the same fin volume. Alternatively, triangular heat sinks may thus be more cost effective to use for cooling ultra‐high speed VLSI circuits than rectangular heat sinks.