Numerical investigation of pin-fin thermal performance for staggered and inline arrays at low Reynolds number

Microprocessor pin fins are arguably one of the most ubiquitous cooling panaceas for a plethora of integrated chip (IC) electronics. The present study is an attempt to numerically analyze the thermal performance of microprocessor pin fins of different geometries for inline and staggered arrangements using finite volume method based solver Ansys Fluent. The effects of various parameters like Reynolds number, inter spacing ratio and the geometry of fins on the heat dissipation rate are explored. Inline and staggered arrangements for cylindrical and conical fins with same effective lengths are considered. Nusselt number for each arrangement with Reynolds number varying from 3423 to 34230 is calculated and considered as the selection criteria for heat transfer application of heat sinks with a constant wattage unit attached to it. Design and boundary conditions corresponding to different fins are taken pertaining to standard practices available through open literature. Results show a significant enhancement in heat transfer for staggered arrangement as compared to inline making it suitable for low Reynolds number micro heat transfer applications. An increment in Nusselt number is observed with increasing Reynolds Number for each of the arrangements and fin geometries.