Optimisation of the heat sink's fin perforation shape using numerical methods for natural and forced convection in electronic cooling applications

Abstract

The ongoing miniaturization of electronic components, resulting in poor heat dissipation, poses a risk of performance decline and component failure, emphasizing the need for effective heat transfer strategies such as the use of heat sinks to dissipate heat into the surrounding environment. The design of heat sinks can be modified in several ways, such as by changing fin geometry, the material used, and orientation. In this study, the numerical results of a rectangular plate-fin heat sink with perforations of circles, squares, and triangles of the same area were compared under forced and natural convection. From the natural convection study, when a 35 W heat source was used, the fin with square perforations had a 44 % higher heat transfer coefficient than the fin without perforation. Among the perforated fins, the square shape improved the heat transfer coefficient by 2.5 % and 2 % over triangular and circular shapes, respectively. In the forced convection study, the heat transfer coefficient was found to increase by 42 % in case of fin with circular perforation compared to the solid fin at a Reynolds number of 5915. Additionally, among the perforated fin heat sinks under the same conditions, the circular perforated fin had a 6.4 % and 5.6 % increase in heat transfer coefficient compared to square and triangle shapes, respectively. Hence, it was observed that the circular perforation that outperforms in the forced convection regime underperforms in the natural convection regime. © 2025 Elsevier B.V.