Investigation on the Thermohydraulic Characteristics of Converting a Cone Fin to a Truncated Cone Fin: an Experimental Study

Heat sink technology is increasingly adopted in various industries to enhance performance while reducing size and costs. This study examines the replacement of conical fins with truncated fins in order to evaluate their effects on heat dissipation and ∆P in a staggered pin-fin-heat sink designed for steam condensation in cold water at low Re numbers. A copper heat sink with 21 fins, measuring 176 mm × 140 mm × 3 mm, has been tested alongside a reference heat sink featuring cone-shaped fins that are 10 mm in diameter and 60 mm in height. Additionally, four modified heat sinks have been assessed, which had truncated cone fins with a tip-to-base diameter ratio ranging from 0.2 to 0.8. Experiments have been conducted under steam pressures from 500 to 11500 Pa (gauge) and cold-water flow rates of 0.5 to 2.25 LPM. Results have indicated that the thermal performance of the conical pin fin heat sink has surpassed that of the truncated cone pin heat sinks across all tests. Increasing the ratio of the tip diameter to the base diameter results in a decrease in the heat transfer rate and the pressure. Moreover, the highest Thermal Performance Index (TPI) achieved in P2V1 and P3V1 across all tests has been approximately 4.6, whereas the lowest TPI recorded in P4V1 has been less than one.