Performance comparison of pin fin in-duct flow arrays with various pin cross-sections

Pin fin arrays are frequently used for cooling of high thermal loaded electronic components. Whereas the pin fin accomplishment regarding heat transfer is always higher than that of other fin configurations, the high pressure drop accompanying pins seriously reduces their overall performance. In order to check how the form of pin cross-section influences the pressure drop and heat transfer capabilities, six forms of pin cross-section were numerically investigated. By employing the conjugate heat transfer boundary conditions, numerical simulations close to realistic working conditions were performed. Two geometric comparison criteria were applied so that the conclusions derived from numerical computations were valid for various possible geometric parameters and working conditions. Both staggered and inline pin arrangements were investigated as these are common in practical applications. The heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics are presented in terms of appropriate dimensionless variables. The final judgment of the performance of the pin fin cross-section was performed based on the heat exchanger performance plot. Such a plot allows the assessment of the pin performance including their heat transfer and the pressure drop.