Fundamental performance limits of heatsinks

TLDR: In this paper, the authors considered size requirements for the constraints of fixed air volume flow rate and pressure drop, fixed fan/blower power, and fixed thermal conductance, and provided simple power-law prediction of performance.

Abstract: Dedicated fan-duct-heatsink combinations have become a standard means of cooling computer processors. Most previous studies have considered optimizaton of fin geometry (pitch and thickness) with overall heatsink dimensions (length, width, height) fixed. The present study considers size requirements for the constraints of fixed air volume flow rate and pressure drop, fixed fan/blower power, and fixed thermal conductance. First, an ideal heatsink with infinite fin thermal conductivity is considered, providing simple power-law prediction of performance. Next, fins of finite thermal conductivity and thickness are included in the analysis, permitting prediction and minimization of weight. Finally, effects of developing flow are incorporated, resulting in variations from the ideal predictions. Models of each of the three levels of complexity can be used, previous to more detailed numerical and/or experimental studies, to design optimized heatsinks.