Numerical investigation of heat transfer enhancement in heat sinks using multiple rows vortex generators

Abstract

This study investigates the application of multiple rows vortex generators for heat transfer improvement of heat sinks. At first, five different geometries of heat sinks are investigated. After choosing the optimum heat sink geometry based on the heat transfer performance and pressure drop characteristic, application of multiple rows of vortex generators is investigated for heat transfer improvement. The effect of different parameters including the number of vortex generator rows, distance between them and also their inclination angle on the heat transfer performance of heat sinks are studied as well. Numerical investigations are done based on the finite volume method. The numerical computations have been validated with available experimental data. The results show that the wavy form of geometry of heat sinks has the best heat transfer performance among the considered ones. This geometry showed an 11% increase in the heat transfer rate compared to a conventional plate-fin heat sink. In addition, by using one, two and three rows vortex generators, thermal performance of heat sink has been improved by 10, 14 and 16%, respectively.