Implementations of Deflectors to Improve the Performance of Heat Sinks

This work presents a numerical study of the thermal and hydrodynamic behavior of a pin-fin heat sink where deflectors are placed along the flow of the coolant air; the effect of the arrangement of the fins and deflectors in the global performance of the heat sink is investigated. The fin geometry analyzed is rectangular, and the arrangement of the fins is inline. The heat sink is placed in a channel in which air flows, and a constant heat flux is applied at the bottom wall of the heat sink with values equivalent to the heat fluxes generated by current electronic devices. Deflectors are placed in the top of the channel in order to drive the air flow into the front and end of the heat sink. The results for the Nusselt number and for the pressure drop along the heat sink are reported. The best dimension of deflectors and pitch for the arrangement based on the thermal and hydraulic performance is attained.