Study of manifold micro-pin–fin heat sinks: application of rhombus-based topologies to organize three-dimensional flows

The escalating demand for heat dissipation has prompted considerable interest in the manifold micro-pin–fin heat sink (MMPFHS) as a promising solution for high heat flux cooling applications. The two-dimensional topology of this multi-layered heat sink plays a pivotal role in organizing the three-dimensional spatial flow, consequently influencing both hydraulic and thermal performance. This study proposes and comparatively analyzes the only three rhombus-based tiling topologies applicable to MMPFHS, specifically the rhombus topology (RT), triangle hexies topology (THT), and firecracker topology (FT), all of which adhere to the principles of gapless, non-overlapping, and spatially expandable tiling topology. The relations of topological geometry and the hydraulic and thermal performances are explored and compared. And figure of merit (FOM) is also introduced to assess their overall performance. The results indicate that the overall performance of THT is predominant. When D PF = 100 μm, a = 200 μm, D in = 50, Re = 64.87, the temperature non-uniformity on the heating surface of THT is only 0.022 K, the thermal resistance is 9.4 × 10 –6 km 2 W −1 , and the FOM of THT is about 1.14 times of that of RT. RT and FT have a similar performance, and the maximum deviation of FOM for both of them within the conditions studied in this paper is only 0.04. The paper provides a reference for selecting topologies in MMPFHS design.