| An analytic model of a high performance parallel plate, laminar flow heatsink is developed. Experimental measurements of the static pressure and fin surface temperature fields within a single fin channel are compared with the results of numerical simulations. The model assumes individual flowtubes approximated by the Hele-Shaw flow, and relies on a unique application of the method of images to represent conduction losses within a fin having an isothermal fin base. Existing parallel plate heat transfer and friction correlations are adopted to curved flowtube patterns of a top-inlet, side-exit heatsink configuration. It is shown how the hydraulic load of a heatsink adds to system acoustic levels of a forced-air cooled computer system. The heatsink model is expected to achieve accuracies within 10% for heat transfer and within 15% for pressure drop at channel Reynolds numbers less than 1800. A detailed design study to determine the heatsink geometry with best heat conductance, at a prescribed flow and pressure for a specified parametric range, is used to illustrate the model's speed and compactness. |
