Heat transfer and flow characteristics of a plate-fin heat sink equipped with copper foam and twisted tapes

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to present new heat transfer enhancement approaches in plate-fin heat sinks (PFHS) using copper foam and twisted tapes. The motivation behind these concepts is to reduce pressure drop while enhancing heat transfer compared to PFHSs fully inserted with copper foam. The impact of twisted tape type, twist ratio, and Reynolds number (Re) on the heat and flow behaviors inside the PFHS equipped with copper foam (PFHSCF) is investigated. Copper foam has a porosity of 0.932 and a pore density of 40 pores per inch. Stationary and rotating twisted tapes with twist ratios between 2.7 and 4 are tested at Re between 3000 and 6000. The experimental results indicated that the pressure drop of the airflow inside a PFHS equipped with copper foam and a stationary twisted tape (PFHSCF_STT) as well as a PFHS equipped with copper foam and rotating twisted tapes (PFHSCF_RTT) decreased by an average of 34.8 % and 37.9 %, respectively, compared to a PFHSCF. When the twist ratio is decreased from 4 to 2.7, the thermal resistances of PFHSCF_STT and PFHSCF_RTT are reduced by 14.2 and 14.8 %, respectively. Based on assessment, the thermal-hydraulic performance of a PFHSCF_RTT with twist ratios of 2.7 and 3.3 is higher than that of a PFHSCF. To facilitate practical applications, correlations are proposed to predict the Nusselt number and friction factor. Additionally, considering the outcomes of the current study, conducting numerical investigations on the thermal performance of PFHS under different pore densities of copper foam and wider twist ratios of twisted tapes is recommended to determine optimal working conditions for future research.