Investigation of pin and perforated heatsink cooling efficiency and temperature distribution

Abstract

AbstractThe uneven temperature distribution resulting from thermal stresses in heat sinks is a significant issue in modern electronic devices. This numerical investigation utilizes fluid to analyze the cooling, flow, and heat transfer characteristics of eight different heat sink designs. These include pin–fin heat sinks with circular, triangular, square, and hexagonal cross-sections, as well as their perforated versions. The results show that the thermal resistance range for all geometries was between Rth = 0.29 and 0.51 K W−1. The circular cross-section pin structure was found to be the most efficient in terms of thermal resistance, while the triangular perforated structure was the least efficient. The narrow and low temperature distribution indicates a high cooling potential for the heat sink. It has been observed that the temperature range studied is between 308.732 and 315.273 K. The circular cross-section pin structure is most efficient in terms of homogeneous distribution between 308.73 and 311.306 K. The pin-type structure with a square cross-section attained the maximum Performance Evaluation Criteria (PEC) of 1.1872 at P = 689 Pa, while the pin-type structure with a triangular cross-section attained the lowest PEC of 0.67 at P = 2750 Pa. The investigation revealed that, in relation to PEC, perforated structures had superior performance compared to other pin designs, except for the square-section pin structure. This research found that measuring the efficiency of a heat sink based just on thermal resistance or average temperature distribution is not enough; the PEC criteria must also be taken into account.