COMPUTATIONAL FLUID DYNAMICS ANALYSIS OF FORCED CONVECTION HEAT TRANSFER THROUGH RECTANGULAR PLATE FIN HEAT SINK

Abstract

This study focuses on developing a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for analyzing forced convection heat transfer in a heat sink with straight fins. The heat sink's practical design was considered, and OpenFOAM, an open-source CFD code software, was utilized for the model development. The study identified the SST k-ω turbulence model as suitable for the CFD model and validated its accuracy by comparing results with experimental data, showing an average error of less than 5.19%. The CFD results revealed the full development of the thermal boundary layer in the fin channels, emphasizing its significance for heat transfer performance. Notably, an increase in airflow inlet or Reynolds number was found to gradually enhance the heat transfer performance. The study established correlations between heat sink length, Reynolds number, and heat transfer performance, proposing a novel empirical equation with an average error of less than 4.46%. This equation was deemed a valuable tool for designing straight-fin heat sinks for electronic devices, and the CFD model, similar to this case, could be employed in future OpenFOAM-based studies.