Pressure Drop Over MEMS-Based Micro Scale Pin Fin Heat Sinks

Pressure drops and friction factors related to forced flow of de-ionized water over staggered/ in-line micro pin fin bundles (100-μm long, with hydraulic diameter of 50-μm and 100-μm, and with horizontal and vertical pitch ratios 1.5 and 5) possessing different cross-sections (circular/ diamond) have been experimentally investigated over Reynolds numbers ranging between 5–128. The applicability of conventional scale correlations to evaluate micro flow tests results has been assessed. It has been shown that available large-scale correlations do not adequately predict the pressure drop obtained at the micro scale.