TY - JOUR
TI - Free convection limit to heat transfer from heatsinks with square fins on a horizontal base: Comparison with cylindrical fins
AU - Haldar S C
AU - Manna S
JN - Thermal Science
PY - 2015
VL - 19
IS - 5
SP - 1565
EP - 1574
PT - Article
AB - Free convection about a single vertically orientated square fin on a  horizontal plate has been investigated numerically. Fluid is drawn towards  the fin from the far field which cools the fin and finally leaves through the  top. For short fins, convection rather than the conduction is the controlling  mechanism and this renders the fin thermal conductivity a parameter of little  importance for such fins. Heat flux at the base of the fin decreases with  increasing width of the fin confirming the benefits of large number of  slender fins. A correlation has been developed to evaluate the heat flux at  fin base which may be used to predict the upper bound of free convection heat  transfer from any heat sink with square fins on a horizontal base. Rate of  heat transfer so calculated has been compared with experimental data  published recently. The study also reveals the advantage of the cylindrical  fins over square fins.