Active Thermal Management of Electronic Devices Using Fractal Extended Surfaces

In the present work, the active thermal management of electronic devices using fractal extended surfaces is experimentally investigated. The thermal performance of extended surfaces inspired by the first four fractal iterations of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern in a forced convection environment was quantified based on fin effectiveness, fin efficiency, and fin effectiveness per unit mass. The fins were experimentally examined in a thermal testing tunnel with a range of velocities (0.5m/s, 1m/s, 2m/s, and 4m/s). When compared to a solid rectangular fin, without perforations, of equal height, width, and thickness (2in x 2in x 1/16in), the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern of the fourth iteration was found to be 4.26% more effective at dissipating heat by convection. It was also found that the 2in fins were 2.91 % more effective than 4in fins of the Sierpinski carpet fractal pattern