Analysis of the Heat Transfer in Electronic Radiator Filled with Metal Foam

Abstract

The performance of an electronic radiator filled with metal foam with a porosity of 96% was studied. The effect of the factors including the flow rates, the pores per linear inch (PPI) and the numbers of fins was analyzed. The results show that the electronic radiator with metal foam reflects a stronger ability of the heat transfer compared to the electronic radiator without metal foam. With the increase in the flow rate between 10 L/h and 60 L/h, the heat transfer coefficient of both of the two electronic radiators will be improved, but it is also dependent on the number of fins. In this study, we find that the heat transfer coefficient first increases and then decreases with the number of fins. The optimum number is three. As for the effect of the PPI, the higher the PPI, the larger the heat transfer coefficient, while the pressure drop always increases with the flow rates’ increase, the pores per linear inch (PPI) and the numbers of fins.

Keywords

• metal foam
• electronic radiator
• enhancement of heat transfer
• pressure drop