Abstract
This study aimed at determining a suitable pattern to allow for a better design of the fins used in heat sinks. Flow was considered laminar and steady, and the studied heat transfer mechanism was forced convection. Considering a fixed fin volume, the shape of fin cross section and its dimensions were optimized to maximize the heat transfer rate in a given physical condition. Numerical results showed that at a constant fin base area, heat transfer rate was higher in a fin with a triangular cross section compared to the fins with rectangular or trapezoidal cross sections. Investigation of optimum dimensional ratio in triangular fins showed that an increased height/thickness ratio enhanced the heat transfer rate. The effect of vertical position of the longitudinal perforations with different cross sections but similar volume ratios on the thermal performance of triangular fins was also examined. Results showed that perforation enhanced the thermal performance of the fins. Perforations with square and circular cross sections had almost identical thermal performances and dissipated more heat compared to those with triangular perforations.
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Arash Shadlaghani received his M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Shahrood University of Technology and Isfahan University of Technology, Iran, in 2010 and 2013, respectively. His major research areas include the use of experimental and computational fluid dynamic in thermofluids phenomena and their optimization.
Mohammad Reza Tavakoli is an assistant professor in Department of Mechanical Engineering. He received his Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from University of Maryland (College Park), USA in 2010. His research interests include multi phase flow, experimental and numerical heat transfer and porous media.
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Shadlaghani, A., Tavakoli, M.R., Farzaneh, M. et al. Optimization of triangular fins with/without longitudinal perforate for thermal performance enhancement. J Mech Sci Technol 30, 1903–1910 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-016-0349-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12206-016-0349-5