Optimization Investigation of Bionic Fin Structure by Experimental and Numerical Modelling

Drawing inspiration from the fast-swimming shark's structure and skin, we developed the bionic shark fin, featuring two distinct types: bionic curved fins and bionic curved slotted fins. The present study assessed the impact of mainstream Reynolds number, fin curvature, and fin slot thickness on thermal fluid performance. The findings demonstrated that the curved fin structure can enhance the fluid mixing, benefiting local thermal-hydraulic performance. Simultaneously, the slotted curved fins expanded the heat transfer surface area, and the local injection in slots significantly reduced hydraulic resistance, offering a novel solution for heat sink optimization. Optimal flow and heat transfer performance for bionic curved fins were achieved with the fin thickness of 2.4 mm, while for bionic curved slotted fins, the overall optimal thermal performance was attained with a fin thickness of 2.6 mm with the slot thickness of 1 mm. Overall, the bionic fins exhibited thermal performance improvements of 8.7% and 29% over straight fins, respectively. More importantly, the heat transfer and flow friction correlations with criterion of fin parameters were developed, and the robust predictive accuracy was verified.