An investigation of thermal and hydrodynamic behaviour of compound fins under turbulent flow conditions: A numerical and experimental approach

This study analyses Compound Fins (CFs) in turbulent airflows using numerical and experimental methods. CFs combine Novel Plate Fin Heatsinks (NPFHSs) [1] and Slotted fins (S8 and S9) [2] and are compared to plain plate fins. Numerical modelling of turbulent airflow is conducted using Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations, and ANSYS is used for the analysis. The CFs are manufactured using selective laser melting and validated experimentally. CF variations are categorized as CF18, CF19, CF28 and CF29 as described in Table 1. CFs outperform plain fins, with CF18, CF19, CF28, and CF29 showing higher Nu numbers by 52.7%, 51.2%, 44.8%, and 47.9%, respectively. CF18 and CF19 have 22.9% and 21.7% higher heat transfer coefficients than NPFHS1, respectively. CF28 and CF29 have 19.1% and 22.4% higher heat transfer coefficients than NPFHS2, respectively. CF18 and CF19 have higher air pressure drops than plain fins, while CF28 and CF29 have lesser pressure loss. The study concludes that CFs perform better than plain fins and are lighter. The methodology ensures the accuracy and reliability of the findings, making the study a valuable contribution to electronic cooling.