Forced convective heat transfer over twisted and perforated forked pin fin heat sink: A numerical study

The pin fin structure's design and shape play a critical role in stringent heat transfer management, especially for the robust advancement of electrical devices. This numerical study illustrates the impact of forced convective heat transfer and fluid flow behaviors on a staggered rectangular fork-shaped pin fin (RFPF) heat sink. Effects of one-slot and two-slots, the twisting of the lids of the two-slotted RFPF from 5 degrees to 90 degrees, and circular perforations are studied for different flow velocities. The study is carried out using the Navier-Stokes equation and RANSbased k - epsilon turbulence model and validated against both experimental and numerical literature data. At the highest Reynolds number, results indicated a 158 % and 141 % increase in hydrothermal performance factor compared to cylindrical pin fin for 0 degrees and 55 degrees twisted double-slotted RFPF. At this twisting angle (55 degrees), the highest Nusselt number was obtained for all cases. Implementation of circular perforation further enhanced heat transfer by decreasing the pressure drop as well as lowering thermal resistance.