Heat Sinks: Pin Fins

Develop a simple and accurate model for predicting natural convection heat transfer from arrays of isothermal cylinders and pins for a wide range of Rayleigh number and cylinder spacing. Simple correlation algorithms are available for a range of configurations ranging from a single, isolated cylindrical pin to arrays of cylindrical pins in an aligned or staggered arrangement.

An area-mean Nusselt number correlation for pin arrays is presented in terms of a linear superposition of two terms: a diffusive term and a convective term. The correlation is easy to implement, accurate to within 15% and can be used for a wide range of applications such as pin-fin heat sinks, heat exchangers, heating and refrigeration equipment and nuclear reactors.

Au, V.C., 1999, "Natural Convection Heat Transfer Model for Arrays of Horizontal Isothermal Cylinders and Pins," Master of Applied Science Thesis, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Waterloo.

NSERC Operating Grant Nortel Networks