Work

Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Natural Convection in Plate-fin Heat Sinks Using Comsol® Multiphysics

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Heat sinks are commonly used to enhance heat transfer and maintain suitable operating temperatures in electronic and other heat-generating devices. In this study, natural convection heat transfer under transient and steady-state conditions was investigated in an aluminum heat sink with flat rectangular fins. Experimental tests and numerical simulations using COMSOL® Multiphysics 5.2 were performed to evaluate the temperature distribution and to determine an appropriate positioning of the temperature sensors. The computational domain and boundary conditions were defined to reproduce the experimental setup, and the heat flux generated by a resistive heater was imposed as the thermal input to the numerical model. Experimental and numerical results were compared using the steady-state temperature measured at the fin tip. The numerical model showed good agreement with the experimental data, with a temperature difference of approximately 1.3 K for the selected mesh, supporting the use of the computational model for the analysis of natural convection heat transfer in the heat sink.

Source: Revista de Geopolítica

DOI: 10.56238/revgeov17n11-039

Authors: Vilson Altair da Silva, Ana Lúcia Fernandes de Lima e Silva, Sandro Metrevelle Marcondes de Lima e Silva, Rogério Fernandes Brito

Institution: Universidade Federal de Itajubá

Language: English

Topic: Heat Transfer and Optimization

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais, Universidade Federal de Itajubá

OpenAlex ID: W7225456536

FWCI:

Cites: 6

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Related to: 10