Effects of fin positioning on the thermal performance of a phase change material–filled heat sink with horizontal fins

We conducted numerical simulations to investigate the influence of the horizontal fin arrangement on the thermal performance of a phase change material (PCM)-filled heat sink. Six horizontal fin positions were considered to compare and analyze heat transfer features and variations in the base temperature of the heat sink. The enthalpy–porosity method was used to investigate the phase change process of the PCM and the interface between the PCM and air. The working fluid inside the heat sink was tracked using a volume of fluid model. Heat transfer phenomena during the solid PCM–melting process were examined. The time required to reach the set point temperature (SPT) and storage ratio have been reported for all fin configurations. When the horizontal fins were aligned at the center of the heat sink, the time taken to attain the lowest SPT was the longest and the storage ratio was the highest. In the presence of horizontal fins, the energy storage rate was improved by 3.8 % compared to the case without horizontal fins. In addition, a difference of 2.7 % energy storage ratio appeared depending on the arrangement of horizontal fins, revealing that there exists an arrangement of horizontal fins to effectively store the thermal energy input to the heat sink. The results herein can benefit the thermal management of heat sinks encountered when cooling electronics.