Thermal Performance of Sierpinski Carpet Fractal Fins in a Natural Convection Environment

Author(s):  
David Calamas ◽  
Daniel Dannelley ◽  
Gyunay Keten ◽  
Philip Hines

When certain fractal geometries are used in the design of fins or heat sinks the surface area available for heat transfer can be increased while system mass can be simultaneously decreased. In order to assess the thermal performance of fractal fins for application in the thermal management of electronic devices an experimental investigation was performed. The experimental investigation assessed the efficiency, effectiveness, and effectiveness per unit mass of straight rectangular fins inspired by the first four iterations of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern. The thermal performance of the fractal fins was investigated in a natural convection environment. While fin efficiency was found to decrease with fractal iteration fin effectiveness per unit mass increased with fractal iteration. In addition, a fractal fin inspired by the fourth iteration of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern was found to be more effective than a traditional straight rectangular fin of equal width, height, and thickness. When compared to a traditional straight rectangular fin, or the zeroth fractal iteration, a fin inspired by the fourth fractal iteration of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern was found to be 4.87% more effective, 15.19% less efficient, and 67.98% more effective per unit mass. The amount of the total heat transfer attributed to thermal radiation was also dependent on fractal iteration. Thermal radiation accounted for 45.52% of the total heat transfer for the baseline case, or zeroth fractal iteration. Thermal radiation accounted for 51.94%, 50.17%, 52.77%, and 66.62% of the total heat transfer for the first, second, third, and fourth fractal iteration respectively.

2017 ◽  
Vol 139 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
David M. Calamas ◽  
Daniel G. Dannelley ◽  
Gyunay H. Keten

When certain fractal geometries are used in the design of fins or heat sinks, the surface area available for heat transfer can be increased while system mass can be simultaneously decreased. In order to assess the thermal performance of fractal fins for application in the thermal management of electronic devices, an experimental investigation was performed. The experimental investigation assessed the efficiency, effectiveness, and effectiveness per unit mass of straight rectangular fins inspired by the first four iterations of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern. The thermal performance of the fractal fins was investigated in a natural convection environment with thermal radiation accounted for. Fin performance was analyzed under power inputs of 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 W. While fin efficiency was found to decrease with fractal iteration, fin effectiveness per unit mass increased with fractal iteration. In addition, a fractal fin inspired by the fourth iteration of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern was found to be more effective than a traditional straight rectangular fin of equal width, height, and thickness. When compared to a traditional straight rectangular fin, or the zeroth fractal iteration, a fin inspired by the fourth fractal iteration of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern was found to be on average 3.63% more effective, 16.19% less efficient, and 65.99% more effective per unit mass. The amount of the total heat transfer attributed to thermal radiation was also dependent on fractal iteration. Thermal radiation accounted for, on average, 57.00% of the total heat transfer for the baseline case, or zeroth fractal iteration. Thermal radiation accounted for 53.67%, 50.33%, 48.84%, and 45.84% of the total heat transfer for the first, second, third, and fourth fractal iterations, respectively.


Author(s):  
David Calamas ◽  
Daniel Dannelley ◽  
Jennifer Shaffer ◽  
Valentin Soloiu

This works experimentally investigates the thermal performance of extended surfaces inspired by the first four fractal iterations of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern in a free convection environment. Fractal fins inspired by the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern can result in an increase in surface area for convective heat transfer coupled with a simultaneous decrease in mass and are thus desirable in aerospace applications. The thermal performance of the Sierpinski carpet fractal fins was quantified based on fin efficiency, fin effectiveness, and perforated fin effectiveness. When compared with a solid rectangular fin, without perforations, and of an equal base area and package volume a fin inspired by the fourth iteration of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern was found to be more effective at dissipating heat by convection. The impact of fin size on the thermal performance of the fractal fins was investigated for a range of power inputs applied at the base (2.5 W, 5 W, and 10 W). A 5.08 cm × 5.08 cm (2 in × 2 in × 1/16 in) fractal fin inspired by the fourth iteration of the Sierpinski carpet fractal was found to have a convective effectiveness, convective efficiency, and convective effectiveness per unit mass, 10.91% more, 10.31% less, and 77.65% more, than a traditional solid (non-perforated) rectangular fin of equal height, width, and thickness. Similarly, a 10.16 cm × 10.16 cm (4 in × 4 in × 1/8 in) fin inspired by the fourth fractal iteration was found to have a convective effectiveness, convective efficiency, and convective effectiveness per unit mass, 3.97% more, 15.91% less, and 66.54% more, than a traditional solid (non-perforated) rectangular fin of equal height, width, and thickness. Thus, the thermal performance of the fractal fins increased as the size of the fins decreased. Regardless of size, the contribution of thermal radiation was significant (often greater than 50%) and should not be neglected. In general, for a fin with a uniform cross-section, intersurface thermal radiation accounts for a significant percentage of thermal radiation heat transfer, particularly as the size of the perforations decreases.


Author(s):  
David Calamas ◽  
Daniel Dannelley ◽  
Gyunay Keten

When certain fractal geometries are used in the design of fins or heat sinks the surface area available for heat transfer can be increased while system mass can be simultaneously decreased. The Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern, when utilized in the design of an extended surface, can provide more effective heat dissipation while simultaneously reducing mass. In order to assess the thermal performance of fractal fins for application in the thermal management of electronic devices an experimental investigation was performed. The first four fractal iterations of the Sierpinski carpet pattern, used in the design of extended surfaces, were examined in a forced convection environment. The thermal performance of the Sierpinski carpet fractal fins was quantified by the following performance metrics: efficiency, effectiveness, and effectiveness per unit mass. The fractal fins were experimentally examined in a thermal testing tunnel for a range of Reynolds numbers. As the Reynolds number increased, the fin efficiency, effectiveness and effectiveness per unit mass were found to decrease. However, as the Reynolds number increased the Nusselt number was found to similarly increase due to higher average heat transfer coefficients. The fourth iteration of the fractal pattern resulted in a 6.73% and 70.97% increase in fin effectiveness and fin effectiveness per unit mass when compared with the zeroth iteration for a Reynolds number of 6.5E3. However, the fourth iteration of the fractal pattern resulted in a 1.93% decrease in fin effectiveness and 57.09% increase in fin effectiveness per unit mass when compared with the zeroth iteration for a Reynolds number of 1.3E4. The contribution of thermal radiation to the rate of heat transfer was as high as 62.90% and 33.69% for Reynolds numbers of 6.5E3 and 1.3E4 respectively.


Author(s):  
Hsiang-Sheng Huang ◽  
Jung-Chang Wang ◽  
Sih-Li Chen

This article provides an experimental method to study the thermal performance of a heat sink with two pairs (outer and inner pair) of embedded heat pipes. The proposed method can determine the heat transfer rate of the heat pipes under various heating power of the heat source. A comprehensive thermal resistance network of the heat sink is also developed. The network estimates the thermal resistances of the heat sink by applying the thermal performance test result. The results show that the outer and inner pairs of heat pipes carries 21% and 27% of the total heat transfer rate respectively, while 52% of the heating power is dissipated from the base plate to the fins. The dominated thermal resistance of the heat sink is the base to heat pipes resistance which is strongly affected by the thermal performance of the heat pipes. The total thermal resistance of the heat sink shows the lowest value, 0.23°C/W, while the total heat transfer rate of the heat sink is 140W and the heat transfer rate of the outer and inner pairs of heat pipes is 30W and 38 W, respectively.


Coatings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 200
Author(s):  
Lingyun Zhang ◽  
Yupeng Hu ◽  
Minghai Li

This study examines the combined heat transfer by thermal conduction, natural convection and surface radiation in the porous char layer that is formed from the intumescent coating under fire. The results show that some factors, such as the Rayleigh number, conductivity ratio, emissivity, radiation–conduction number, void fraction and heating mode have a certain effect on the total heat transfer. In addition, the natural convection of the air in the cavity always inhibits surface radiation among the solid walls and thermal conduction, and the character of the total heat transfer is the competition result of the three heat transfer mechanisms.


2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 899-897
Author(s):  
Xiaohong Gui ◽  
Xiange Song ◽  
Baisheng Nie

The effects of contact angle and superheat on thin-film thickness and heat flux distribution occurring in a rectangle microgroove are numerically simulated. Accordingly, physical, and mathematical models are built in detail. Numerical results indicate that meniscus radius and thin-film thickness increase with the improvement of contact angle. The heat flux distribution in the thin-film region increases non-linearly as the contact angle decreases. The total heat transfer through the thin-film region increases with the improvement of superheat, and decreases as the contact angle increases. When the contact angle is equal to zero, the heat transfer in the thin-film region accounts for more than 80% of the total heat transfer. Intensive evaporation in the thin-film region plays a key role in heat transfer for the rectangle capillary microgroove. The liquid with higher wetting performance is more capable of playing the advantages of higher intensity heat transfer in thin- film region. The current investigation will result in a better understanding of thin- -film evaporation and its effect on the effective thermal conductivity in the rectangle microgroove.


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