FINLESS heat sinks, high performance and low cost for low profile cooling applications

The need for low profile, sustainable thermal management solutions is becoming a critical need in electronics from consumer products to server cabinets. This work presents a FINLESS thermal management solution that utilises fluidic structures generated within it to enhance the heat transfer performance. The FINLESS thermal management solution can be manufactured to have a height of ∼5mm or even less when using low profile motors. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) combined with Infra-Red (IR) imaging techniques are used to explain the underlying flow physics that results in increased heat transfer rates compared to typical laminar flows. It is found that the local heat transfer coefficients in the finless design are up to 300% greater than those achieved at the same Reynolds number using conventional boundary layer theory. The additional benefits in terms of sustainability of the approach are also highlighted.