Optimization of the Geometry of a Heat Sink

Cellular materials have properties similar to conventional materials on the macroscopic level but possess several advantages at the microscopic level, including the ability to be manufactured down to a very small scale. With this ability, new geometric configurations for a heat sink are able to be considered. This paper details the results of a study to develop a geometry based optimization tool for heat sink design. With the principle of superposition, the analysis of a heat sink can be simplified by using a repeating cell. For the repeating cell, the following questions are posed: Given a certain percentage of the volume available for channels for fluid to pass through, where should one place the channels? What shape should they be? To answer these questions a theoretical approach was used with testing and analysis performed using computational fluid dynamics software. Three unsuccessful schemes are presented, with explanations as to why they did not prove successful. Lessons learned from these attempts are applied to the ongoing development of an optimal heat sink for use in skin cooling of a hypersonic vehicle.