Navier-Stokes study of natural convection and heat transfer in vertical symmetrically heated plate-fin heat sinks

A numerical study was performed on buoyant flow and heat transfer in vertical plate-fin heat sinks. As a result of the problem's importance, a number of semiempirical correlations have been proposed to determine the Nusselt number along the wetted surfaces and establish the optimum fin spacing. This article aim to assess the accuracy and range of applicability of such correlations. A CFD program Coolit(TM), specifically designed for modeling electronic equipment, was used to predict heat transfer over a wide range of Raleigh numbers and geometrical parameters. The computed results are presented and compared with semiempirical correlations. Ranges of validity of the correlations and three-dimensional flow mechanisms responsible for the observed discrepancies are discussed.