Optimization of heat sink mass using the DYNAMIC-Q numerical optimization method.

Heat sink designers have to balance a number of conflicting parameters to maximize the performance of a heat sink. This must be achieved within the given constraints of size or volume of the heat sink as well as the mass or material cost of the heat sink. This multi-parameter problem lends itself naturally to optimization techniques. Traditionally, an experimental approach was used where different heat sink designs were constructed and their performance measured. This approach is both time consuming and costly. More recently, numerical CFD techniques have been used, but mostly on a trial-and-error basis, and is basically the numerical equivalent of the experimental approach. A better approach is to combine a semi-empirical simulation program with mathematical optimization techniques. This paper describes the use of mathematical optimization techniques to minimize heat sink mass. The simulation uses the Qfin 2.1 code, while the optimization is carried out by means of the DYNAMIC-Q method. This method is extremely robust and specifically designed to handle constrained problems where the objective and/or constraint functions are expensive to evaluate. The paper illustrates how the parameters considered influence the heat sink mass and how mathematical optimization techniques can be used by the heat sink designer to design compact heat sinks for different types of electronic enclosures. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]