Heat Sink Types

The device transfers heat to the heatsink by conduction the primary mechanism of heat transfer from the heatsink is convection although radiation also has a minor influence.

Heat sink types.

However fin style is generally subject to the shape of the heat generating component. Thermal paste also called thermal compound thermal grease thermal interface material tim thermal gel heat paste heat sink compound heat sink paste or cpu grease is a thermally conductive but usually electrically insulating chemical compound which is commonly used as an interface between heat sinks and heat sources such as high power semiconductor devices. Passive heat sinks dissipate thermal energy through the natural convection process. 6 heat sink types by manufacturing process each heat sink manufacturing process has its own advantages and drawbacks.

Heat sinks can be categorized based on three parameters. Convection fin arrangement and the manufacturing process. In part 2 of our 2 part series on heat sink types we ll look at active heat sinks forged swaged single fin assembly and skived. Heat sink is an electronic component or a device of an electronic circuit which disperses heat from other components mainly from the power transistors of a circuit into the surrounding medium and cools them for improving their performance reliability and also avoids the premature failure of the components.

In computers heat sinks are used to cool cpus gpus and some chipsets and ram modules. Extruded heat sinks are the most common type used today. In some cases plastic can be used to create a folded fin heat sink. This means buoyance of hot air alone causes the airflow produced across the heat sink system.

Let s take a look at 6 common heat sink types. A heat sink also commonly spelled heatsink is a passive heat exchanger that transfers the heat generated by an electronic or a mechanical device to a fluid medium often air or a liquid coolant where it is dissipated away from the device thereby allowing regulation of the device s temperature. There are a number of different ways to make heat sinks. They are made by pushing hot metal through a steel die into the desired shape.

The drawbacks to this type of heat sink are the cost including manufacturing and ducting necessary in your system. The majority of heat sinks are made from extruded aluminum. For the cooling purpose it incorporates a fan or cooling device. Extrusions can be made into elaborate two dimensional shapes allowing them to dissipate more heat and are one of the most cost effective thermal management solutions.

Types and impacts on efficiency style. In many applications the device is an electronic component e g. Cpu gpu asic fet etc and the surrounding fluid is air. There are two distinct types of convection.