free convection limit to heat transfer from heatsinks with square fins on a horizontal base: comparison with cylindrical fins
;Haldar S.C.;Manna S.
Nature2015Vol. 19pp. 1565-1574
147
s.c.2015thermalfree
Abstract
Free convection about a single vertically orientated square fin on a
horizontal plate has been investigated numerically. Fluid is drawn towards
the fin from the far field which cools the fin and finally leaves through the
top. For short fins, convection rather than the conduction is the controlling
mechanism and this renders the fin thermal conductivity a parameter of little
importance for such fins. Heat flux at the base of the fin decreases with
increasing width of the fin confirming the benefits of large number of
slender fins. A correlation has been developed to evaluate the heat flux at
fin base which may be used to predict the upper bound of free convection heat
transfer from any heat sink with square fins on a horizontal base. Rate of
heat transfer so calculated has been compared with experimental data
published recently. The study also reveals the advantage of the cylindrical
fins over square fins.