Heat Sink Optimization: A Multi-Parameter Optimization Problem

Earlier efforts to optimize a simple pin fin heat sink only considered in line or rotated square configurations, a six or seven parameter problem. In this work, a staggered non-square array, two pitch dimensions, with non-circular pin cross-section are added to the heat sink description. The effects of optimizing fin eccentricity and pitch have both been shown to enhance the convective heat transfer as well as to increase the required pumping power thereby contributing to the performance. To optimize, the full conjugate problem must be solved. Volume averaging theory (VAT) is used to rigorously cast the point-wise conservation of energy, momentum and mass equations into a form that represents the thermal and hydraulic properties of the channel morphology. With a VAT based model, multiple heat sinks can be analyzed quickly while being able to change all dimensions. Using commercial software, S-Matrix Corporation’s DOE Fusion, a multi-parameter pin fin heat sink is optimized.