Mapping Potential Heatsink Conductance Across the Hydraulic Plane

A systematic examination of parallel plate fin heat sink performance is carried out by means of a parametric study focussed on aluminum and copper fins in air. The objective is to find the maximum available fin conductance of fixed fin volumes as a function of hydraulic operating point. The fin pitch, height, flow length, and thickness/gap solidity are all varied. Peak volumetric conductance fin geometries are established using a search algorithm. The results are presented as a continuous mapping of peak-enabling fin geometry across the flow-pressure hydraulic operating plane. A correlation is presented showing how the peak conductance varies with pressure, fin volume, and material conductivity.