Development of a Heat Sink-Focused Heat Transfer Laboratory for Mechanical Engineering Education

This project develops a heat sink-focused laboratory module for mechanical engineering students to analyze heat transfer performance.The lab guides students through hands-on experiments of heat sink behavior under natural and forced convection, with a focus on understanding thermal resistance.The experimental setup was designed to enable students to measure base and ambient temperatures and power input during the natural convection phase to calculate thermal resistance.For the forced convection phase, data collection also included airspeed measurements using an anemometer.Students explored the relationship between airspeed and thermal resistance, analyzing the impact of air velocity on heat dissipation.The setup allows all measurements to be conducted within a standard lab period of two hours and fifty-five minutes.A comprehensive instruction manual, including theoretical concepts and practical guidelines will accompany the lab module, reinforcing students' understanding of heat sink performance.