ABSTRACT
This chapter provides results of experimental investigations of the effect of fins, gravity, rotational convection and mass of the phase change material on the thermal performance of a heat sink subjected to constant heat flux of 5kW/m2 at the base. Several heat sink configurations with two media, namely air and n-eicosane are investigated to better understand the role of thermal conductivity enhancers on the melting and solidification heat transfer. Heat transfer experiments and numerical studies were conducted for cylindrical heat sinks with several configurations. In order to avoid heat loss from the heater and also to promote uni-directional heat transfer into the heat sink, the bottom side of the heater is insulated by means of cork. The unfinned heat sink is subject to simultaneous variation of fill ratio and orientation. A study of the centre line temperature helps one understand how fast the heat diffuses into the centre of the heat sink.
