Abstract
In this study, the effects of chassis perforation on natural convection from a horizontal rectangular-fin heat sink have been studied numerically. The results show that when the upper chassis wall is perforated, with a single perforation or multiple dispersed perforations, over the middle region of the heat sink, the venting flow can be smooth and fast, yielding effective cooling of the heat sink. For the optimum perforation layout with an overall opening ration of 0.24, the heat transfer coefficient for the heat sink can be three times as large as that without perforation on the upper chassis wall. If the total length of the perforations is insufficient, the rising heated air is partially blocked and the thermal performance is lowered.