A Comparative Thermal Analysis of Pin Fins for Improved Heat Transfer in Forced Convection*

Abstract

The electronic thermal management industries are consistently working with a goal to reduce the overall dimensions of the fins. The aim is to improve the rate of heat transfer rate per unit weight of the system. In order to fulfil the requirements, researchers need to optimize various parameters of the existing fin geometries. Fins are the extended surfaces that help in increasing the surface area. Use of an extended structure or a fin over a surface does not always assure suitable enhancement in the heat transfer rate. The rate of thermal diffusion in a fin is always affected by parameters like the size, the shape, the material, the relative arrangement and position of the fins, the working fluid and its velocity, etc. A working fluid with lower thermal diffusivity always put limitations in the heat transfer process. Moreover, the added surfaces increase the overall dimensions and the weight of the system. Therefore, effective utilization of surface area is an important factor. In this regard, the shape of the fin plays an important role in thermal diffusion process. In the present work, with air as the working fluid, a 3-D system of aluminium fin system has been numerically modelled, simulating conjugate heat transfer physics. The thermal analysis is performed for various input parameters considering different shapes of the fins.