A Parametric Study of Heat Transfer for the Optimization of Fin Sinks

Abstract

Fin heat sinks are the most widely used type of heat sink for cooling purposes nowadays where space is a key factor, such as for the cooling of electronic equipment. Improved cooling capacity and the lowest possible thermal resistance in the design optimization process of these sink geometries means that we should consider a number of variable parameters, which can involve tedious design processes that are almost impossible to approximate to a sufficient degree of accuracy without computer simulation tools. The principal parameters are the heat dissipation base area, fin size, shape and material and the heat transfer coefficient. Computer numerical simulation tools greatly assist the design process, allowing in turn a greater range and more accurate analysis of the problem itself. In this study, we develop a design tool called "Opti-fin" for a Matlab ® environment that allows the user to configure a fin on the basis of the material and the thermal heat that will be released. Our study also includes a realistic estimation of fluid (air) flows that control the temperature dependency of the fin. This tool has been validated by computational fluid dynamic simulations using ANSYS-FLUENT®, in which the results of the simulation and the actual triangular shaped fin showed a remarkable similarity.