High performance electronic chips are finding applications in almost all equipments in the modern world. However, these chips are coupled with potential overheating, which has been a serious concern for manufacturers as well as researchers ever. One of the best options for electronics cooling is to take advantage of heat sinks. Over years, many studies are focused on optimal designs of heat sinks, while some are also targeted at heat transfer enhancement. To explore how the heat sink performance can be further improved, this study integrates spiral tape inserts into the narrow channel of plate-finned heat sinks. Numerical simulation is carried out to examine the flow and heat transfer behavior of heat sinks with spiral inserts. Different parameters such as insert width, twist ratio, and the flow Reynolds number are investigated. It is observed that the inserts significantly increase the heat transfer rate with a penalty of higher pressure loss. In one of the cases studied, the heat transfer is increased by 368% with a rise of 810% in pressure drop. However, the inserts can produce a net benefit when the same pressure loss or fan power is considered. Therefore, the inserts can help make the heat sink more effective by reducing its size.
Heat Transfer and Pressure Loss Characteristics of Very Compact Heat Sinks.