Introduction For the consumer, natural convection cooling or fan-less cooling is the method of choice. It is silent, it is reliable, it is simple, and it is environmentally sound because no additional energy is used to remove the excess heat. For the thermal engineer, fan-less cooling is more problematic. On the plus side, no fan is needed, so there is an attractive cost … [Read more...]
CFD Simulations in Electronic Systems: A Lot of Pitfalls and a Few Remedies
Introduction In the past 15 years, we have observed a significant increase in the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) codes to calculate the thermal behavior of electronic systems. The benefits are undisputed when it comes to performing parametric studies in early design phases. However, when the objective is accuracy, the discussion about what we can expect in practice … [Read more...]
Estimating Temperatures in an Air-cooled Closed Box Electronics Enclosure
Introduction In the majority of air-cooling applications, openings or vents are provided in the enclosure or box in which the electronic components are housed. The required cooling air is drawn in from outside the box by fans or blowers. In some applications, however, there may be airborne particulates or other substances in the air that would be injurious to the electrical … [Read more...]
Thermal analysis moves into the 21st century
In the last decade, we've come a long way in the application of thermal analysis to the design of electronics. And there's no sign of the pace of innovation changing. Engineers are still being challenged to build faster, smaller and cheaper products in ever-decreasing design times. Fortunately, the engineering software industry has been able to respond by providing tools that … [Read more...]
