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Analytical Forced C onvect io n Mo deling

of Plate Fin Heat Sinks

P. T e e r t s t r a , M.M. Yovanovich and J.R. Culham


Microelectronics Heat Transfer Laboratory
Department of Mechanical Engineering
University of Waterloo
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

and

T. Lemczyk
R.-Theta Inc.
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada

ABSTRACT Nusselt number, G (Q b ) / ( k j A ( T , - T,,))


ideal Nusselt number, 7 = 1
An analytical model is presented that predicts the +
fin perimeter, G 2 t 2 L , m
average heat transfer rate for forced convection, air Prandtl number, E u / a
cooled, plate fin heat sinks for use in the design and total heat transfer rate, W
selection of heat sinks for electronics applications. Us- Reynolds number, G U b / v
ing a composite solution based on the limiting cases of channel Reynolds number, E Reb - ( b / L )
fully-developed and developing flow between isother- inlet air temperature, O C
mal parallel plates, the average Nusselt number can be +
film temperature, E (T, Ta)/2, "C
calculated as a function of the heat sink geometry and baseplate temperature, "C
fluid velocity. The resulting model is applicable for the fin temperature, "C
full range of Reynolds number, 0.1 < Ret < 100, and fin thickness, m
accurately predicts the experimental results to within average velocity in channel, m/s
an RMS difference of 2.1%. baseplate width, m

NOMENCLATURE Greek Symbols


a = thermal diffusivity, m 2 / s
A = channel surface area, f 2 L H , m3 77 = fin efficiency
A,, = approach flow cross section area, 7n2 U = kinematic viscosity, m 2 / s
A, = fin cross section area, t L , m2 P = mass density, k g / m 3
A, = heat sink flow cross section area, mn2
b = channel spacing, m Subscripts
cp = specific heat, J/kg K fd = fully-developed flow asymptote
Cl = radiation correlation coefficient, W / K * dev = developing flow asymptote
Gz = Graetz number tot = total
h = average heat transfer coefficient, W / m 2K r = radiation component
H = fin height, m
k = fin thermal conductivity, W/mK
kj = fluid thermal conductivity, W/mK INTRO D U C T I 0 N
L = fin, baseplate length, m
m = mass flow rate, k g / s Finned heat sinks are commonly used devices for en-
m = fin parameter, I/?n hancing heat transfer from air cooled microelectron-
n = composite model combination parameter ics and power electronics components and assemblies.
N = number of fins The use of finned heat sinks increases the effective

0-7803-5624-5/99/$10.0001999 IEEE 34 Fifteenth IEEE SEMI-THERMTMSymposium


Bar-Cohen [G] recomnieiid the use of fully-developed
laminar and turbulent pipe flow correlations for prc-
dicting tlie average heat transfer coefficient but do not
present any iiiodels for developing flow. There are cur-
rently no simple niodels available in the literature tliat
are applicable to both fully-developed and developing
flows.
The objective of this study is to present an ana-
lytical, forced convection model for tlie average heat
transfer rate from a plate fin heat sink for tlie full range
of Reynolds number, from fully-developed to develop-
ing flow. Tlie proposed model includes fin effects to
Fig. 1 Schematic of Plate Fin Heat Sink Geometry compensate for a temperature variation between the
fins and the baseplate, which can have a substantial
influence on the performance of high aspect ratio heat
surface area for convective heat transfer, reducing the sinks. Experimental ineasurenieiits are performed for
thermal resistance mid operating temperatures in air- an air-cooled heat sink prototype, and these results
cooled electronics. Tlie plate fin heat sink shown in will be used to validate the proposed model.
Fig. 1is one of the most common coiifigurations used in
current applications. It consists of a parallel, uniforni
array of thin, conductive plates of length L, height H
and thickness t , iiiounted on a baseplate of dimensions MODEL DEVELOPMENT
L x W .Heat is convected from tlie heat sink by fan or
blower-driven airflow through tlie channels formed be-
tween tlie fins in a direction parallel to tlie baseplate. P r o b l e m Definition
Tlie task of selecting tlie best heat sink for a par-
ticular application from the hundreds of configura- The problem of interest in this study involves forced
tions available from the various manufacturers can be convection heat transfer for a plate fin heat sink, a par-
a formidable task for an engineer. The choice of an allel uniform array of N plates of thermal conductivity
optimal heat sink depends on a number of factors, in- k mounted to a conductive baseplate, with dimensions
cluding the performance, dimensional constraints, the as shown in Fig. 1. T h e baseplate is assumed to be
available airflow, and cost, where tlie optiiiiuni config- relatively thick and composed of a high conductivity
uration provides the best balance between all of these material, such that spreading resistance effects can be
factors. In order to optimize these parameters, design neglected a n d the baseplate can’be treated as isother-
tools are required tliat quickly and easily predict heat mal. The lower surface and edges of tlie baseplate will
sink performance early in tlie design process, prior to be assumed adiabatic, which should provide a conser-
any costly prototyping or time-consuming detailed nu- vative estimate of tlie performance of the heat sink.
merical studies. This analysis will assunie a uniforiii velocity of
A nuniber of studies of forced convection for an ar- magnitude U through the channels formed between the
ray of parallel plates with applications for the plate fins, with n o “leakage” of air out tlie edges of the chan-
fin heat sink are currently available in tlie literature. nels. This condition is achieved physically by placing
Sparrow, Baliga and Patankar [I] present an analyt- a shroud 011 top of the fins, such that all airflow is
ical study for a forced convection cooled, shrouded contained within the channels. This assuiiiption of
plate fin array, and present their results for tlie av- uniform velocity may also be used in conjunction with
erage heat transfer rate in tabular form. Wirtz, Chen models for flow bypass for unslirouded heat sinks, such
and Zhou [2] present a study of flow bypass effects on at those presented by Wirtz, Chen and Zhou [2] or Si-
plate fin heat sinks, and recommend the use of tlie mons and Schmidt [7].
developing flow correlation of Shah and London [3], The heat sink will be modeled as N - 1 parallel
which is modified from its original, log-mean teniper- plate channels, with each channel defined as shown in
ature formulation. Lee [4]also recoinmends tlie use of Fig. 2 with uiiiform inlet velocity U and ambient fluid
a developing flow correlation with his fit of parallel- temperature T, specified at the channel inlet. To sim-
plate data presented iii Kays and London [5],but no plify the analysis, the ends of the channel formed by
general model or correlation is provided. Kraus and tlie shroud and baseplate are treated as adiabatic, zero

35 Fifteenth IEEE SEMI-THERMTMSymposium


where Q is tlie total heat transfer from both channel
walls and A is the total area A = 2 L H .

Tw 1 Parallel P l a t e Channel

The problem of forced convection heat transfer be-


tween isothermal parallel plates is well docuniented
in tlie literature for the two limiting cases, fully-
developed flow and simultaneously developing thermal
and hydrodynaniic flow. These two limiting cases will
be used as asymptotic solutions for sinall and large Reb
in a general model for all values of the independent
parameter. These asymptotes are conibined using tlie
inverse form of the Churchill and Usagi [SI coniposite
solution technique:
Fig. 2 Schematic of Two-Dimensional Channel
1
N u b = [(-)"-I-(-) ]
n -l/n
(3)
Nllfd Nude,,
shear surfaces, such that the flow field becoiiies two- where Nufd a n d Nudet, are the asymptotic solutions
dimensional. This assumption is valid for b << H , such for fully-developed and developing flow, respectively.
as in high aspect ratio manufactured heat sinks used Tlie combination parameter n is used to control the
for power electronics of other high heat flux applica- behavior of the model in the transition region between
tions. Tlie accuracy of this inodeling approach niay the asymptotes, and its value will be determined based
be questionable for larger fin spacing, b M H , where on empirical results.
the effects of the baseplate and the shroud cannot be Due to the relatively large heat transfer coefficients
neglected. achieved in forced convection flows, it is anticipated
In the first step of the inodeling procedure a uni- that fin effects will be an important factor in predict-
form temperature boundary condition, T, = T,,is ing average heat transfer from the heat sink. T h e
imposed on each of the channel walls t o determine the proposed model will include fin effects, but will ad-
functional relationship for the average heat transfer dress them later in tlie analysis. At this point in tlie
coefficient for the simple, 2D channel problem. Tlie developmeiit of the iiiodel the channel walls are as-
second part of the modeling procedure uses a fin anal- sumed to be isothermal and of equal temperature t o
ysis to predict tlie actual heat transfer rate from the the baseplate, T, = T,.
heat sink based on the behavior of tlie ideal channel
and as a function of the fin dimensions and thermal F'ully-Developed Flow Asymptote
conductivity.
All air properties will be calculated at the film teni- In their study of optimal spacing for forced convection
perature: cooled parallel plates, Bejan and Sciubba [9] suggest
Tj = -
+
T. T, that tlie asymptotic value of Nub for fully-developed
2 flow occurs when tlie average teniperature of tlie air ex-
iting the channel equals the wall temperature T s . For
Both tlie independent and dependent variables are
this condition, i t can be shown through an enthalpy
non-dimensionalized using the channel width b as the
balance on the fluid passing through the channel that:
characteristic length. The Reynolds number is defined
as: Q =7 (z - T,)
i - L ~ ~ (4)
Tlie mass flow rate can be expressed in terms of tlie
U6 channel cross sectional area and the average velocity:
Reb = -
U
Q = PCp ( b H ) U (T,- Ta) (5)
The dimensionless average heat transfer rate is ex-
pressed in terms of the Nusselt number defined as: Non-dimensionalizing with the previously defined Nus-
selt and Reynolds numbers gives:
l b
= - -RebPr
NIL(, (6)
2 L

36 Fifteenth IEEE SEMI-THERMTMSymposium


The channel width, length and R.eynolds nunibcrs arc
combined t o form a single, dinlensionless value analo-
gous to the channel, or Elenbaas Rayleigh iiuniber for
rI
natural convection. The channel R.eynolds nuniber is
defined as:
b
R.ec = Reb - L (7)
Using this relation, tlie fully-developed asymptote be-
1 -11"

comes:
1
N t l j d = - Reb* Pr (8)
2
The plot in Fig. 3 shows the behavior of these two
Developing Flow Asymptote
asymptotes, along with the composite model for the
full range of Reb* from developing to fully-developed
A iiuniber of analytical models and correlations are
flow. The proposed composite niodel approaches the
currently available in tlie heat exchanger literature for
liiniting cases for small a n d large values of Reb* and
siniultaneously developing flow in isotheriiial ducts;
predicts a smooth transition in the interiiiediate re-
however most of these studies are based on a log-mean
gion:
or local temperature difference between the fluid and
the boundary. Sparrow [lo] presents an integral so- 3 < Reb* < 20
lution for laminar forced convection in the entrance The optiniized value of the conibinatioii parani-
region of flat, rectangular ducts, and includes a for- eter, n, in Eq. (12) is determined using data from
niulation for the average Nusselt number based on the a numerical solution of the two-dimensional channel
inlet temperature: problem. Numerical simulations were perforiiied using
FLOTHERM [ll],a commercial, finite volume-based
CFD package. A siinple two-dimensional chaiiiiel was
modeled using a n isothermal, no-slip boundary to sim-
ulate the walls and a uniform velocity distribution at
tlie inlet. Five cases were examined which span tlie
valid for Pr M 1. For a channel length L, tlie Graetz full range of the independent parameter:
iiumber is defined as:
0.26 5 Reb* 5 175
The results of these numerical simulations are shown
along with tlie proposed model in Fig. 4. Based on
where the effective diameter De for parallel plates is this comparison of the model with tlie numerical data,
equivalent t o 2b. T h e developing flow expression is
converted in terms of the previously defined dinien-
sionless parameters to give the developing flow asymp-
tote: 10' ?

At the limit of large Reb* this asymptote can be shown


to approach tlie classical isothermal flat plate solution:

N U L= O.664&Pr1f3

composite Model

The asymptotes developed in the previous sections for


fully-developed and developing channel flow are corn-
bined using the composite model, Eq. (3), to give: Fig. 3 Proposed Solution Behaviour

37 Fifteenth IEEE SEMI-THERMTMSymposium


where H is the height of the fin and m is defined as:

m=

T h e periineter P and cross sectional area A , of the fins


are given by:

oi ;.,
Y ' ' '''l'''. '
l- o

' ' """


Numerical Data
Model
' ' " " " ' 1o2 '
and b is the thermal conductivity of the fin material.
T h e average heat transfer coefficient h can be related
t o the ideal value of Nusselt number by:
1oo 10'
Rei

Fig. 4 Comparison of Model and Numerical Substituting these expressions into Eq. (14) and sim-
Results for 2D Channel plifying yields:

a value for the con1bination coefficient of n = 3 was de-


termined which minimizes the difference between the
tanh
(J kfHH
2Nui---
k b t
(t +1 )
model and numerical predictions over the full transi- 17= (17)
tion region. When n = 3, the RMS percent difference
between the model and the numerical data is 2.1%.

Fin Effects T h e "ideal" fin, with 9 = 1 is approached when the


argument of the tanh( ) function and the denominator
The goal in high aspect ratio heat sink configurations both approach zero:
is to maximize the available fin surface area, which is
often achieved at the expense of fin efficiency. As the tanh(x)
liin -= 1
fins become taller and thinner, the temperature differ- 2+0 2
ence between the fins and the baseplate increases due
to the increased conductive resistance, and the perfor- I t can be shown that changes t o the value of the
mance of the heat sink is reduced. This effect is more parameters in Eq. (17) that would decrease the con-
pronounced for forced convection, where strong con- ductive resistance in the fin, such as a decrease in
vection on the fins tends to remove heat more quickly H / b , H / t , or an increase in k , would tend to reduce
then it can b e replaced through conduction from the the value of the argument, resulting in fin efficiency
baseplate. T h e proposed model for the plate fin heat approaching the ideal fin, = 1 .
sink niust take these effects into account.
The analytical model for the parallel plate channel M o d e l Summary
developed in the previous section assumes that the fin
temperature is equal to that of the baseplate, T, = T,, Combining the fin efficiency from Eq. (17) with the
resulting in the largest possible heat transfer values. solution for the parallel plate channel, the composite
Treating the model predictions as ideal values, N u ; , iiiodel for forced convection for the plate fin heat sink
the fin efficiency 17 is defined by: is:

<
where " u b is the average heat transfer rate for T,,,
T,.Assuming an adiabatic condition a t the fin tip, the
efficiency can be deterniined as follows [ 1 2 ] :
tanh(m H)
'= inH (14)

38 Fifteenth IEEE SEMI-THERMTMSymposium


Plan M e w
rr--------- b = 2.18 mm k = 200 W/mK
j ;;
L = 115 mm
H=49mm
N = 15 End Mew

Heat Sink

Plexiglas -
Shroud
I "I I'I
,Anemometer

Fig. 5 Back-to-back Heat Sink Prototype Assembly Fig. G Schematic of Test Apparatus

where: on the periphery of the assembly. Two 300 W pencil


heaters were press fitted into two wells drilled into the
baseplates of the heat sinks. Thermal grease, with a
thermal conductivity of 0.8 W / m K [13], was used be-
Nu; =
tween all contacting interfaces of the heat sinks and
the pencil heaters. Given the symmetry of the heat
sink configuration, it was assumed that all heat dis-
1-113
sipated by the pencil heaters was equally distributed

1
between the two heat sinks. The heaters were pow-
1
+ (19) ered using a 140 VAC variac resulting in typical line
voltages of 110 V at a current of approximately 4.5 A .
(0.664,pp-1/3,/=)
rn The current flow was sufficiently low that lead losses
in the heater wires were minimal.

Temperature measurements were performed using


EXPERIMENTAL VALIDATION 5 mil T-type copper-constantan thermocouples with a
Teflon coating connected to a Fluke Helios datalog-
Experimental measurements were performed to val- ger. Because of the small diameter of the thermocou-
idate the proposed model using a heat sink proto- ple wires, and the relatively large values of Q, con-
type with a configuration similar to a commercially- ductive losses through the leads were assumed to be
available heat sink for power electronic applications. negligible. Ambient temperatures in the test section
This high aspect ratio heat sink was tested over a were monitored using three thermocouples in various
range of velocities and power levels, and the results locations. The baseplate temperature was measured
are compared with model predictions. using four thermocouples attached to one of the heat
sinks a t the interface between the baseplates at the
Test Apparatus locations indicated by TI - T4 in Fig. 6. The ther-
mocouples on the baseplate were located adjacent to
To accurately quantify the heat dissipation from the and far away from the heaters, such that a n arithmetic
heat sink, matching pairs of heat sinks were config- average of their measured values would provide a rep-
ured in a back-to-back arrangement as shown in Fig. 5. resentative value for the mean baseplate temperature
The heat sinks were firmly bolted together using six T,.During the testing, the maximum difference in the
countersunk machine screws located a t equal intervals temperature readings between these four thermocou-

39 Fifteenth IEEE SEMI-THERMTMSyrnposium


ples was less than 15% of tlie average value. When the In order to compare the experiinental results with
additional spreading effects of tlie baseplate material the model predictions, the measured values iiiust be
are considered, the assumption of a uniforiii baseplate expressed in terms of tlie dimensionless parameters
temperature equal to tlie average of tlie measured Val- Reb* and Nub. Tlie channel velocity U is related to
ues is validated. tlie approach velocity U, through a simple, continuity
In order to minimize flow bypass effects, the heat relationship:
sink assembly was placed inside a Plexiglas shroud, as
shown in Fig. G. The inner dimensions of tlie shroud
were approximately one channel width, b, larger than
the heat sink on all sides, and the baseplate was nar-
rowed a t its edges to minimize tlie contact area be- where tlie value for the ratio of the cross sectional areas
tween the heat sink and shroud. Tlie shroud and at the inlet and heat sink sections is A , / A , = 1.877.
lieat sink assembly were suspended at tlie center of a Once the channel velocity U has been determined, it
300 x 300inin test section of a vertical, open-ended can be non-dimensionalized using tlie previously de-
wind tunnel, and tlie space between the outside of fined channel Reynolds number, Eq. (7), where tlie
tlie shroud and the wind tunnel walls was blocked to properties are evaluated at the film temperature.
control airflow through the assembly. The approach The average Nusselt number for the heat sink is de-
velocity to the heat sink assemblies was measured termined by non-diineiisionalizillg the total heat trans-
using a Dantec hot wire anemometer placed approx- fer rate per channel of the heat sink prototype. This
imately 200mm upstream of the leading edge of tlie per channel heat flow is calculated from tlie total power
heat sink assembly as shown in Fig. 6. dissipation per side (less radiation) Q t o t / 2 , divided by
tlie number of channels per side, N,which includes the
Test Procedures and Results two half channels formed between the outer fins and
tlie shroud. Tlie Nusselt number is determined by:
Experimental tests were performed for tlie following
values of approach velocity U, and power Q t o t :

U, = 2, 3, 4, 5 , G , 7, 8 m l s

Qtot = 100, 200, 300, 400, 5 0 0 W


where Fs is the mean of tlie four thermocouple read-
where &tot = 100 W was tested for the lowest value
ings on the baseplate.
of approach velocity, U, = 27n/s only. Each test was
allowed to reach a thermal steady state over a three t o Figure 7 compares the non-dimensionalized exper-
four hour period, and tlie results were recorded when imental results with tlie predictions of tlie proposed
;he heat sink temperatures remained unchanged for a model with fin effects included, and the model for the
period of fifteen minutes. ideal fin, = 1. The model and the d a t a are in ex-
Radiation heat transfer tests were also performed cellent agreement over tlie full range of Re,,*,with an
for the heat sink - shroud assembly in a vacuum cham- RMS difference of 2.1% and a maximum difference of
ber for a range of power levels. T h e baseplate and sur- (3%. T h e range of channel Reynolds number values
roundings teniperature measurements from these tests shown in Fig. 7 lies between the transition and devel-
were correlated to the form: oping flow regions, and the composite model is very
effective in capturing the behavior of the solution for
Qr = C1 (Td4- Ta,4)x IO-’ (20) all of the data.
Comparing the two curves shown in Fig. 7 for
where tlie value of the coefficient, C1 = 0.537, is deter-
the model with and without fin effects clearly demon-
mined from a fit of the test results. This correlation
strates the importance of including the fin efficiency
was used to reduce radiation effects from the results
calculation in the analysis, particularly for the long,
by:
narrow fins of the test heat sink configuration. Fin
&tot - Qr efficiency values vary between 77 = 0.85 for the low
In all cases the relative magnitude of the radiation Reynolds number, Reb* = 10, to r ) = 0.75 for Reb* =
component was less than 1% of the total Qtot, which 35, where this decrease in r) is due t o tlie increase in
is as expected in forced convection. tlie convection for larger Reb*.

40 Fifteenth IEEE SEMI-THERMTMSymposium


REFERENCES

, [l ] Sparrow, E.M.. Baliga. B.R. and Patankar.

‘1
0
0

0
0 S.V., “Forced Convection Heat Transfer from a
0
0 Shrouded Fin Array with and without Tip Clear-
I , ance,” Journal of Heat Transfer, Vol. 100, No. 4.
1978, pp. 572 - 579.
3t
3 0
0 /
0

/- [2 3 Wirtz, R.A., Clien, W. and Zhou, R., “Effect


of Flow Bypass on the Performance of Longitu-
dinal Fin Heat Sinks,“ Journal of Heat Transfer,
Vol. 116, No. 3, 1994, pp. 206 - 211.
[3 ] Shaw, R.K.and London, A.L., Laminar Flow
Experimental Data Forced Convection in Ducts, Acadeniic Press,
New York, 1978.
Model - No Fin Effects [4 ] Lee, S., “Optimum Design and Selection of
1
Heat Sinks,” IEEE 2Vansaction.s on. Compo-
10 20 30 4 0 50 nents, Packaging and Manufacturin.g Techn.ology
- Part A , Vol. 18, No. 4, 1995,pp. 512 - 517.
[5 ] Kays, W.M. and London, A.L., Compact Heat
Fig. 7 Coinparison of Model with Measured Values Ezchangers, 3rd. ed., McGraw Hill, New York,
1984.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS [6 ] Kraus, A.D. and Bar-Cohen, A., Design and
Analysis of Heat Sinks, John Wiley and Sons,
An analytical model has been developed to predict the
New York, 1995.
average heat transfer rate for forced convection cooled
plate fin heat sinks based on a combination of the two [7 ] Sinions, R.E. and Schmidt, R.R., “A Simple
limiting cases, fully-developed and developing flow in Method t o Estimate Heat Sink Air Flow By-
a parallel plate channel. Fin effects are included in the pass,” Electronics Cooling, Vol. 3, No. 2, 1997,
model t o account for temperature variations between pp. 36 - 37.
the fins and the baseplate, and these fin effects have [8 ] Churchill, S.W. and Usagi, R., “A General Ex-
been shown t o be significant in certain heat sink con- pression for the Correlation of Rates of Trans-
figurations. Measurements were performed for an air fer and Other Phenomenon,” A.Z.Ch.E. J o u ~ n a l ,
cooled, high aspect ratio heat sink prototype, and the Vol. 18, pp. 1121 - 1128.
model was found to be in excellent agreement with the [9 ] Bejan, A. and Sciubba, E., “The Optimum
experimental results, within 2.1% RMS and 6% maxi- Spacing of Parallel Plates Cooled by Forced
m u m difference. Convection,” International Journal of Heat an.d
The heat sink inodel presented in this study is lim- Mass ‘Pransfer, Vol. 35, No. 12, 1992, pp. 3259 -
ited to configurations where the parallel plate channel 3264.
assumption is valid, such as in high aspect ratio heat
sinks where b << H . Further work is required to in- [ l o ] Sparrow, E.M., “Analysis of Laminar Forced-
clude the effects of the baseplate and the shroud for Convection Heat Transfer in Entrance Region of
cases where b M N ,and to examine flow bypass issues Flat Rectangular Ducts,” NACA Technical Note
for non-shrouded applications. 3331, 1955.
[11 ] Flomerics Inc., 2 Mount Royal Ave., Marlbor-
ough, MA, 1999.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
[12 ] Incropera, F.P. and DeWitt, D.P., f i n d a m e n -
T h e authors gratefully acknowledge Materials and tals of Heat and Mass ‘Pransfer, 4th. ed., John
Manufacturing Ontario and the Natural Sciences and Wiley and Sons, New York, 1996.
Engineering Research Council of Canada for their con- [13 ] Aavid Engineering Design Sheet EDS # 116,
tinued support of this work. 1992.

41 Fifteenth IEEE SEMI-THERMTMSymposium

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