Pin fin heat sink including flow enhancement
AssigneeAT&T Laboratories
InventorKaveh Azar
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Heat dissipation performance of a pin fin heat sink is improved by utilizing a flow guide arrangement. Flow guide members are positioned relative to the outer rows of the pin fins and longitudinal to fluid flow through the pin fin field of the heat sink. A gap between a lower edge of each flow guide member and a base surface of the heat sink forms apertures allowing potentially stagnant fluid in an interior region of the pin fin field of the heat sink to communicate with fluid flowing around the exterior of the heat sink. This causes a so-called "pump" action in which the potentially stagnant fluid is drawn along with the fluid flowing around the exterior of the heat sink.
Claims18
Apparatus for dissipating heat comprising:
- a surface;
- a plurality of pin fins protruding from said surface;
- and
- flow guide means positioned in prescribed spatial relationship with said surface and said plurality of pin fins and being arranged for providing apertures along said flow guide means in predetermined spatial relationship to said surface so that fluid in an interior region formed by said plurality of pin fins is caused to communicate with fluid flowing exterior to the region formed by said plurality of pin fins along said flow guide means.
Apparatus for dissipating heat comprising:
- a surface;
- a plurality of pin fins protruding from said surface;
- and
- flow guide means including at least first and second members each having upper and lower edges and being positioned parallel to each other and in predetermined spatial relationship with predetermined ones of said plurality of pin fins so that there is a gap between the lower edge of each of said members and said surface, each of the gaps forming apertures for allowing fluid in an interior region formed by said plurality of pin fins to communicate through said apertures with fluid flowing exterior to the interior region.
A heat sink comprising:
- a base plate having an upper surface;
- a plurality of pin fins protruding from said upper surface of said base plate;
- and
- at least first and second flow guide members having upper and lower edges, said first and second flow guide members being in predetermined spatial relationship with predetermined ones of said plurality of pin fins and said upper surface of said base plate so that there are apertures formed between said lower edges of said first and second flow guide members and the upper surface of said base plate for fluid flow from an interior region of the heat sink.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.