Optimization of heat transfer effects in radial fin microchannel heat sink

Abstract

In the quest of saving energy, heat must be extracted from the electronic devices effectively, for which microchannel heat sinks are employed. The temperature variation in heat sinks exists due to flow mal-distribution. With increase in complexity of heat sink designs, the concerns for its reliability arises, as the large temperature variation across the substrate causes development of thermal stresses. Therefore, to tackle both the problems simultaneously the authors presents a study of heat sink with radial fins. The height of channel, number of channels on substrate, and flow rate are considered as the design parameters. The response of the design variables is obtained in terms of Nusselt number, which is put into Taguchi’s L9 orthogonal array for obtaining the optimum combination of design parameters for maximum Nusselt number. The signal-to-noise ratio and analysis of variance were used to examine which parameter significantly affects Nusselt number. The results indicate that the flow rate is the most influential parameter that affects Nusselt number.