Heat Transfer Enhancement From a Blade Tip-Cap Using Metal Foams

3D numerical results are presented to compare the heat transfer augmentation from a plate by using pin fins and metal foams. It is observed that maximizing the inlet velocity and pores per inch maximizes the overall heat transfer rate. The thickness of the foam layer has minimal effect on overall rates of heat transfer, but great effect on the maximum plate temperature. It has been shown that an optimum thickness exists which minimizes the hot spot temperature. Hot spots are generally located in the corners where velocities are the lowest. While the pressure drop remains almost unaltered, the heat transfer increases by 146% and 12% compared with a smooth channel and the optimal pin-fin data available in the literature, respectively. Interestingly, the additional mass of the foams, to achieve this performance, is approximately one-quarter of the best pin-fin sink quoted above.