Analysis of the Effect of Dimensional Performance Evaluation Methods on the Prediction Accuracy of Air-Cooled Heat Sinks

This study examines the prediction accuracy of heat transfer performance in air-cooled heat sinks using various dimensional analysis methods. We developed 0D, 1D, and 3D analytical approaches and conducted both experimental and numerical analyses under different airflow conditions. The comparison of experimental and analytical results showed that the 3D CFD analysis achieved the highest prediction accuracy, with a maximum relative error of 8.42% across all airflow rates. However, it required approximately 37 hours and 24 minutes of computation time, making it the most computationally intensive option. In contrast, the 0D and 1D analyses only needed about 0.001 seconds, demonstrating superior computational efficiency but exhibiting larger deviations, with relative errors ranging from –6.17% to 46.58%. These findings highlight the importance of carefully considering flow characteristics and operating conditions when conducting dimensional analysis of air-cooled heat sinks, and they underscore the need to select the appropriate dimensional approach based on the analysis's purpose and required accuracy.