The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Apr. 28, 2026
Filed:
Sep. 23, 2020
Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta, GA (US);
Ari Glezer, Atlanta, GA (US);
Thomas M. Crittenden, Atlanta, GA (US);
Sourabh Kumar Jha, Atlanta, GA (US);
Pablo Hidalgo, Atlanta, GA (US);
Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta, GA (US);
Abstract
Low Reynolds number forced convection heat transport within the fin channels enhanced by deliberate formation of unsteady, small-scale vortical motions using elastically fluttering thin-film reeds. The vortical motions substantially increase the local heat transfer coefficient at the channel walls and mixing between the wall thermal boundary layers and the cooler core flow. The flow mechanisms associated with production, advection and dissipation of these small-scale motions are investigated in a modular, high aspect ratio channel using micro-PIV, video imaging of the reed motion, and hot-wire anemometry. The global heat transfer enhancement in a modular heat sink prototype shows that the reed-induced small scale motions increase the turbulent kinetic energy of the flow even when the base flow undergoes transition to turbulence, leading to an increase in the local and global Nusselt number that is sustained at higher Re and a minor relative increase in losses.