Composite heat transfer device with pins having wings alternately oriented for up-down flow

Claim 1

A heat transfer device with improved composite pin fins, comprising, a base to be cooled or heated by a fluid directed across a surface of the base, pins of a heat conducting material mounted on the surface of the base in columns in the direction for fluid flow, wings attached to the pins and extending generally in the upstream and downstream directions of fluid flow, the wings in combination with the associated pin having a generally trapezoidal shape as viewed along the surface of the base at right angles to the direction of fluid flow, the trapezoid shape having a short parallel edge and a long parallel edge generally parallel to the base and having two non-parallel edges, the composite pin fins along the direction of fluid flow being oriented with the short parallel edges alternately near the edges of wings of consective composite pin fins being spaced apart, the pins being substantially uniform in cross section whereby the pin provides substantially the same heat transfer characteristics and impedance to the fluid flow in either orientation of the pin fin, whereby the fluid flow is retarded by the drag from the surface of the wings more near the long parallel edge of the wings than near the short parallel edge and consequently the fluid flow past the wings is deflected toward the short parallel edge and an up-down corrugated flow is produced for improved heat transfer.