Efficient peak temperature control using precision cooling: A numerical study of a novel jet-pin-fin hybrid heat sink

Non-uniform heat generation in modern electronic components leads to localized hotspots that can degrade performance and reduce operational lifetime, highlighting the need for effective, targeted cooling solutions. This work introduces a novel hybrid heat sink (HHS) combining precision cooling via jet impingement with localized convection enhancement using pin fins placed only around high heat-flux regions. Unlike jet-only or fully finned heat sinks, the HHS selectively targets hotspots, improving local thermal control without excessive hydraulic penalties. The performance of the HHS is numerically evaluated and compared with two baseline configurations: a pin-fin heat sink (PHS) and a jet-impingement heat sink (JHS). Simulations are conducted at low and high flow rates under a total non-uniform heat input of ≈ 250 W . Results show that the HHS effectively controls hotspot temperatures and enhances local heat transfer compared with the PHS and JHS. It achieves up to ≈ 45 % reduction in local hotspot peak temperature relative to the JHS, making it the most effective configuration for critical temperature management. This improvement is attributed to the synergistic effect of jet impingement and localized pin-fin structures, which combine high-precision cooling of jets with conventional pin-fin cooling, suppress recirculation zones, and maintain efficient heat removal downstream of stagnation regions. In addition to reducing local peak temperatures, the HHS provides up to ≈ 40 % improvement in global heat transfer with only a modest increase in pumping power, demonstrating its ability to significantly control hotspot peak temperatures in electronic systems under non-uniform heat flux conditions. • A novel hybrid jet-pin-fin heat sink proposed for precision electronic cooling. • The hybrid design effectively controls peak temperature at localized hotspots. • Comparative study of hybrid, jet, and crossflow heat sinks under non-uniform heating. • Hotspot peak temperature is reduced by ≈ 45 % compared with jet heat sink. • Hybrid heat sink shows ≈ 18 % − 41 % global heat transfer gain over jet heat sink.