An overview of heat sink technology

A heat sink is a device that helps absorb or dissipate heat from the surrounding area using extended surfaces or fins in various geometries. This technology finds its applications in various thermal applications, including power plants, refrigeration, air conditioning systems, electric and electronic devices, and chemical industries. The most common type of heat sink is a metal device with many cooling fins, known as a fin array. There are two methods used to cool heat sinks: passive and active. Increasing the surface area of the fins' thermal conductivity, or heat transfer coefficient, can enhance the performance of the heat sink. There are various profiles for longitudinal fins, including parabolic, triangular, and rectangular shapes. The most popular profile is the rectangular one, particularly in arrays with multiple fins. The purpose of this study is to review the optimization design of longitudinal rectangular fins for arrays with one or more fins subjected to both natural and forced convection.