Experimental Investigation of Metallic Fibrous Heat Sinks for External Cooling of an Electronic Package

Abstract Preliminary results of an experimental study to test the effectiveness of metallic fibrous heat sinks for electronic cooling applications are presented. In these initial measurements, low heat inputs were employed. Within a higher range of porosity of the aluminum fibrous sinks, lower porosities lead to lower thermal resistance and higher heat transfer rates. Over a range of Reynolds number, the surface to ambient temperature difference remains fairly constant indicating the possibility that, with the use of fibrous heat sinks, low velocities are enough to keep the surface temperature to a desired value.