Fin Cooling

Heat sinks add fins to shed heat into the air. Watch temperature fall along a fin, and see when extra length just wastes metal.

Fin CoolingLive

heat sinks & extended surfaces

Controls

Presets

Conductivity k (W/m·K)

Convection h (W/m²·K)

Fin thickness (m)

Fin length (m)

Base temp (°C)

A fin extends a hot surface into the air to shed more heat. Temperature falls along it as θ(x)/θ_b = cosh(m(L−x))/cosh(mL). Long, thin, low-conductivity fins run cool at the tip — wasted area, captured by the fin efficiency. Educational tool.

▶ Run in Python

Data Inspector

Tip temperature86.7 °C

Fin efficiency88%

Heat dissipated330.3 W

Governing equation

\frac{θ}{θ _{b}} = \frac{cosh ( 12.9 ( 0.05 - x ))}{cosh ( 0.65 )}, m = \frac{2 h}{k t}

Reading this result: Balanced fin (mL=0.65): a practical compromise at 88% efficiency, with the tip still 62 °C above ambient.

Runs locally in your browser — free forever. Scale to the cloud when reality gets heavy.

or unlock everything with Pro →

★ Sign in to save this setup

Save your tuned setup, or drop this simulation into your own site, docs, or course page.

How it works

A fin conducts heat outward while convecting to the surrounding air, giving θ(x)/θ_base = cosh(m(L−x))/cosh(mL) with m = √(2h/kt). Beyond a point the tip runs near ambient and added length barely helps — captured by the fin efficiency. Educational tool.

✦

Ask the AI about this model

The math, the assumptions, real-world uses, or a code translation — explained for this exact simulation.

More Engineering simulations

2D Fluid (CFD)FEA Truss Meshing + BCs RLC Circuit Gear Train Ratios Pipe Flow & Head Loss Pump & System Curves Open-Channel Flow

Frequently asked questions

Is this cooling fin heat sink calculator tool really free?▾

Yes. Fin Cooling runs entirely in your browser using your device's own compute, so local use is free forever. You only pay Compute Tokens if you scale a job to the cloud.

Do I need to install anything?▾

No. Everything runs client-side in a modern browser — no downloads, no license, no account required to start.

Can I save or share my simulation?▾

Create a free account to save projects, and use a shareable embed or minted DOI to publish a live, interactive version anywhere.

How accurate are the results?▾

The solver uses established numerical methods, but results are for research and educational purposes and should be validated against experiment or professional review before you rely on them.