Lattice-Based Volumetric Heat Sinks for Forced-Convection Cooling of Power Electronics: A Critical Review

Okeke, Ebelechukwu, Khatamifar, Mehdi, and Lin, Wenxian (2026) Lattice-Based Volumetric Heat Sinks for Forced-Convection Cooling of Power Electronics: A Critical Review. Energies, 19 (12). 2834.

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DOI: 10.3390/en19122834

View at Publisher Website: https://doi.org/10.3390/en19122834

Abstract

Lattice-based heat sinks have attracted increasing attention as volumetric thermal management architectures for forced-convection cooling of high-power electronic systems. In contrast to conventional plate-fin, pin-fin, and straight-channel configurations, lattice geometries promote three-dimensional flow–solid interaction through interconnected ligament networks that modify boundary-layer development, wake formation, and internal heat-spreading pathways. This review synthesizes recent experimental and numerical studies to examine the thermo-fluid mechanisms governing lattice performance, with emphasis on the coupled influence of porosity, ligament dimensions, topology, orientation, and channel confinement on heat-transfer enhancement and hydraulic resistance. The analysis indicates that while lattice structures can increase average Nusselt number and improve temperature uniformity, these gains are intrinsically linked to pressure-drop penalties associated with flow tortuosity and form drag, resulting in regime-dependent thermal-hydraulic behavior. Apparent discrepancies reported across the literature are frequently attributable to differences in geometric definition, Reynolds-number normalization, and boundary-condition specification rather than to inconsistencies in physical mechanisms. By consolidating geometric scaling, performance metrics, manufacturing considerations, and system-level constraints, this review clarifies the conditions under which lattice heat sinks may provide net benefit relative to conventional cooling technologies and identifies key research directions required to support application-relevant design and evaluation.


Item ID:	92760
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	1996-1073
Keywords:	additive manufacturing, forced convection, heat transfer, lattice heat sinks, power electronics cooling, thermal-hydraulic performance
Copyright Information:	Copyright © 2026 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license.
Date Deposited:	30 Oct 2026 04:04
FoR Codes:	40 ENGINEERING > 4012 Fluid mechanics and thermal engineering > 401204 Computational methods in fluid flow, heat and mass transfer (incl. computational fluid dynamics) @ 50% 40 ENGINEERING > 4012 Fluid mechanics and thermal engineering > 401299 Fluid mechanics and thermal engineering not elsewhere classified @ 30% 40 ENGINEERING > 4017 Mechanical engineering > 401703 Energy generation, conversion and storage (excl. chemical and electrical) @ 20%
SEO Codes:	17 ENERGY > 1701 Energy efficiency > 170199 Energy efficiency not elsewhere classified @ 30% 24 MANUFACTURING > 2499 Other manufacturing > 249999 Other manufacturing not elsewhere classified @ 70%
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