An experimental study of PCM based finned and un-finned heat sinks for passive cooling of electronics

Abstract

This experimental study determines and compares the thermal performance of unfinned and finned PCM based heat sinks. For the analysis considering pin-fins as thermal conductivity enhancer (TCE), triangular configuration is considered. It is further classified into inline and staggered pin-fin arrangements. Three popular variants of paraffin namely paraffin wax, RT-44 and RT-35HC are incorporated as phase change materials (PCMs) inside the heat sink. The volume fraction of pin-fins and PCMs are kept constant at 9% and 90% respectively. The heat input at the base of heat sinks ranges from 5 W to 8 W. The results are presented in two different cases, charging and discharging, and the analysis of temperature variation and comparison of fin arrangements in three different heat sinks with and without PCM. Further the enhancement ratios are determined to quantify the thermal performance in operation time of heat sink for passive cooling with the influence of PCMs and TCEs. The results suggest triangular inline pin-fin as the dominant heat sink geometry and RT-44 as the most efficient PCM for passive thermal management of electronic devices.