Influence of extended surface area of heatsink on heat transfer: design and analysis

Abstract

Purpose Light emitting diode (LED) has been the best resource for commercial and industrial lighting applications. However, thermal management in high power LEDs is a major challenge in which the thermal resistance (Rth) and rise in junction temperature (TJ) are critical parameters. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the Rth and Tj of the LED attached with the modified heat transfer area of the heatsink to improve thermal management. Design/methodology/approach This paper deals with the design of metal substrate for heatsink applications where the surface area of the heatsink is modified. Numerical simulation on heat distribution proved the influence of the design aspects and surface area of heatsink. Findings TJ was low for outward step design when compared to flat heatsink design (ΔT ∼ 38°C) because of increase in surface area from 1,550 mm2 (flat) to 3,076 mm2 (outward step). On comparison with inward step geometry, the TJ value was low for outward step configuration (ΔTJ ∼ 6.6°C), which is because of efficient heat transfer mechanism with outward step design. The observed results showed that outward step design performs well for LED testing by reducing both Rth and TJ for different driving currents. Originality/value This work is authors’ own design and also has the originality for the targeted application. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the proposed design has not been tried before in the electronic or LED applications.