Least-material optimization of vertical pin-fin, plate-fin, and triangular-fin heat sinks in natural convective heat transfer

A least-material optimization of pin-fin, plate-fin, and triangular-fin array geometries is performed, by extending the use of least-material single fin analysis to multiple fin arrays. The heat dissipation from vertical fin arrays in natural convection is calculated using the Nusselt number correlation by Aihara et al. (Int. J. Heat and Mass Transfer vol. 33, no. 6, pp. 1223-32, 1990) for pin-fins, by Bar-Cohen and Rohsenow (Trans IEEE CHMT vol. 6, pp. 154-8, 1983) for rectangular plate fins, and by Karagiozis et al (Air, vol. 116, pp. 105-11, 1994) for triangular plate fins. Comparisons of the thermal capability of the three different array geometries are carried out on the basis of total heat dissipation and material-specific volumetric heat dissipation. Manufacturability constraints of these heat sinks, and their effects on the final design, are briefly discussed.