A Comparative Analysis of Enhancement Techniques in a PCM-Embedded Heat Sink: Fin forms, Nanoparticles, and Metal Foam

•Comparative Analysis of Various Enhancement Techniques for PCM Heat Transfer.•Investigating the Impact of Fin Number and Shape Arrangement on the Thermal Efficiency of PCM-Filled Heat Sinks.•Assessing the Influence of Copper Nanoparticles Volume Fraction on Heat Transfer within PCM.•Enhancing Heat Transfer in PCM through the Application of Metallic Foam. Efficient cooling of electronic devices presents a persistent challenge in the advancement of electronic technology architecture. Passive cooling strategies employing phase change materials (PCMs) have emerged as promising methods for thermal management. This study employs a numerical analysis to investigate the cooling effectiveness of a heat sink (HS) integrated with PCM, incorporating fins of varying geometries, nanoparticles enhanced phase change material (NCPCM), and metal foam (MF). A comprehensive numerical simulation is performed, considering conjugate heat transfer and melting/solidification processes. The obtained results encompass the base temperature of the heat sink, melting time, enhancement ratio, thermal energy storage (TES), TES rate, and TES density. Through the examination of various fin structures, this study reveals that the inclusion of metal fins in the heat sink yields the lowest base temperature, the longest melting period, and the highest TES rate, especially with the incorporation of 10 fins. However, the addition of copper nanoparticles exhibits limited thermal enhancement despite increasing volume fractions. Notably, the MF+PCM HS demonstrates the lowest base temperature and the highest enhancement in TES rate, achieving a remarkable 12.3% improvement at 95% porosity of copper.