%X Forced air convection heat pipe cooling systems play an essential role in the thermal management of electronic and power electronic devices such as microprocessors and IGBT's (Integrated Gate Bipolar Transistors). With increasing heat dissipation from these devices, novel methods of improving the thermal performance of fin stacks attached to the heat pipe condenser section are required. The current work investigates the use of a wing type surface protrusions in the form of 3-D delta wing tabs adhered to the fin surface, thin wings punched-out of the fin material and TiNi shape memory alloy delta wings which changed their angles of attack based on the fin surface temperature. The longitudinal vortices generated from the wing designs induce secondary mixing of the cooler free stream air entering the fin stack with the warmer fluid close to the fin surfaces. The change in angle of the attack of the active delta wings provide heat transfer enhancement while managing flow pressure losses across the fin stack. A heat transfer enhancement of 37 compared to a plain fin stack was obtained from the 3-D tabs in a staggered arrangement. The punched-out delta wings in the staggered and inline arrangements provided enhancements of 30 and 26 respectively. Enhancements from the active delta wings were lower at 16. However, as these devices reduce the pressure drop through the fin stack by approximately 19 in the de-activate position, over the activated position, a reduction in fan operating cost may be achieved for systems operating with inlet air temperatures below the maximum inlet temperature specification for the device. CFD analysis was also carried out to provide additional detail of the local heat transfer enhancement effects. The CFD results corresponded well with previously published reports and were consistent with the experimental findings. © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
%K Angles of attack; CFD analysis; Delta wings; Experimental investigations; Fin materials; Fin stack; Fin surface; Flow pressure; Forced-air convection; Free stream; Heat pipe condensers; Heat transfer enhancement; In-line arrangement; Inlet temperature; Integrated gate bipolar transistors; Local heat transfer; Longitudinal vortices; Novel methods; Pipe-cooling systems; Power electronic devices; Shape memory alloy; Staggered arrangement; Surface protrusion; Thermal Performance; TiNi shape memory alloys; Vortex generators; Wing design; With inlets, Active filters; Air; Atmospheric temperature; Computational fluid dynamics; Cooling systems; Delta wing aircraft; Electric power systems; Electron devices; Electronic cooling; Fins (heat exchange); Heat pipes; Heat transfer coefficients; Insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT); Shape memory effect; Surfaces; Thermoelectric equipment; Three dimensional; Transport aircraft; Vortex flow, Heat convection
%D 2011
%N 14-15
%R 10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2011.03.015
%O cited By 39
%L scholars1889
%J Applied Thermal Engineering
%T An experimental investigation into the deployment of 3-D, finned wing and shape memory alloy vortex generators in a forced air convection heat pipe fin stack
%V 31
%A M.S. Aris
%A R. McGlen
%A I. Owen
%A C.J. Sutcliffe
%P 2230-2240