Session: 16-02-01: Poster Session: NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), NSF Posters

Paper Number: 100072

100072 - A Quantitative Investigation of the Effectiveness of 3d-Printed Plastic Natural Convective Heatsinks Using Computational Fluid Dynamics 

Electronic devices employ heat sinks, which provide cooling of key components, thus improving the reliability and life of these devices. Heat sinks vary in application, there are uses in automotive, lighting, electric system, and industrial fields. Heat sinks can be attached to components within the device and have varying structures. The heat sinks often rely on natural convection, which simplifies the design by not relying on a fan. This maintains a lower air velocity which helps reduce noise. This thermal management solution is cost-effective in comparison to forced convection because there are no additional components, such as a fan to promote heat dissipation. Natural convection heat sinks made of aluminum are typically used for these devices because of the material’s high thermal conductivity, which can effectively transfer heat without assistance. Heat sinks are made of a metal surface base and protruding fins that are called pin fins, these fins are used to increase the surface area for heat transfer. It is not necessarily the speed that is a concern but its ability to transfer heat away from the critical parts. Different geometries are constructed so that heat can effectively be transferred. However, traditional manufacturing methods limit the possible geometries to optimize heat rejection. Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, allows us to use plastics to improve electronic cooling although the material is less thermally conductive. We use computational fluid dynamics software to create simulations to optimize the heat sink geometry to enable improved heat transfer. By developing computational models of geometries in both aluminum and plastic materials that can be manufactured through 3D printing techniques, we can create shapes that are not possible with conventional manufacturing methods. This investigation will focus on increasing performance with the switch from aluminum to plastic by designing a higher-performing geometry. The models focus on natural convection heat sinks, yet multiple characteristics of the simulations can be refined, including ambient temperatures for a representative electric device and heat flux on the heatsink bottom surface. Current models have an adjustable temperature at the bottom of the aluminum and plastic heat sinks and simulate how much heat transfer occurs between the two. The models can be adjusted to investigate how much power we can put through the device without it overheating. By designing optimized geometries made of plastic rather than aluminum, we can take advantage of advances in 3D printing technology because they are lightweight, low cost, and resist corrosion.

Presenting Author: Shyra LaGarde Valdosta State University

Presenting Author Biography: Shyra LaGarde is a junior at Valdosta State University studying chemical and computer engineering. She has presented at research symposiums and work on STEM related research projects. Some projects she been apart of are a computationally intensive project for development of heat sink geometry and a project focused on spatial-temporal thinking and computing applications for development of a cyber infrastructure to classify sea ice. Shyra LaGarde is from New Mexico but attends school in Georgia. She loves to expand her knowledge base and help others.

Authors:

Shyra LaGarde Valdosta State University
Gregory Michna South Dakota State University
Stephen Gent South Dakota State University