Investigation of Heat Transfer Performance of Metallic and Composite Pin Fins with Geometrical Variations - A Review

Efficient thermal management is essential in designing compact electronic devices and integrated circuits. As device sizes shrink, removing excess heat becomes more challenging. An extended surface is a solid structure that improves heat dissipation. It conducts heat through the material, then transfers it to the surrounding fluid by convection at its surfaces. This approach aids cooling and maintains safe operating temperatures. Additionally, there are some situations were heat transfers predominantly by radiation. Many problems involve both conduction within solids and convection in a fluid, but the most common example is the fin. A fin is added to improve heat removal when increasing the convection coefficient is not feasible. By extending into the fluid, fins provide a larger heat exchange area, transferring more heat from the surface. This review presents research on how different materials and geometries affect pin fin performance. Studies conclude that material properties and pin fin geometry influence heat transfer rates. Most research covers circular pin fins; other geometries remain unexplored. Aluminium and copper pin fins are better for high accuracy and fast response, while circular fins transmit heat more effectively.