Comparative study on constructal optimizations of T-shaped fin based on entransy dissipation rate minimization and maximum thermal resistance minimization

Abstract

The constructal optimizations of T-shaped fin with two-dimensional heat transfer model are carried out by finite element method and taking the minimization of equivalent thermal resistance based on entransy dissipation and the minimization of maximum thermal resistance as optimization objectives, respectively. The effects of the global parameter a (integrating the coefficient of convective heat transfer, the overall area occupied by fin and its thermal conductivity) and the volume fraction Φ of fin on the minimums of equivalent thermal resistance and maximum thermal resistance as well as their corresponding optimal configurations are analyzed. The comparison of the results based on the above two optimization objectives is conducted. The results show that the optimal structures based on the two optimization objectives are obviously different from each other. Compared with the optimization result by taking the minimization of maximum thermal resistance as the objective, the optimization result by taking the equivalent thermal resistance minimization as the objective can reduce the average temperature difference in the fin obviously. The increases of a and Φ can all improve the working status of local hot spot and the global heat transfer performance of the system. But the improvement effects of the increases of a and Φ on the minimization of equivalent thermal resistance are different from those on the minimization of maximum thermal resistance. For either objective, the effect of a is different from that of Φ . The T-shaped fin with minimum equivalent thermal resistance is much taller than that with minimum maximum thermal resistance; for either optimization objective, the stem of fin is thicker than the branches of fin, and the stem thickness is relatively close to branch thickness when the minimization of equivalent thermal resistance is taken as the optimization objective. The T-shaped fin with flat stem and slender branches can benefit the reduction of the maximum thermal resistance.