Experimental Investigation of Microchannel Heat Sink with Modified Hexagonal Fins

Abstract

The concept of periodic renewal of boundary layers is a promising technique for the enhancement of heat transfer in microchannels. Extending the above concept, microchannel heatsink with modified hexagonal fins has been proposed for disrupting the flow periodically. An experimental study has been carried out to investigate the heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of a microchannel heat sink with modified hexagonal fins and a conventional type of microchannels with plate fins. The heat transfer and fluid flow characteristics of the modified hexagonal fin microchannels have been compared with the plate fin microchannels. The heat transfer enhancement factor and pressure drop penalty factors are evaluated and compared. The modified hexagonal fin microchannel heat sink has been found to outperform the plate fin microchannel heat sinks in spite of the lesser heat transfer area.

Keywords

• Microchannel testing; Modified hexagonal fins; Single phase heat transfer; Copper heat sinks; Laminar flow.