Cooling electronics in a very small enclosure is challenging because only limited space is available for both the heat sink and the cooling airflow. A component may have sufficient nominal cooling capacity while still developing excessive local temperatures if the air is not distributed effectively.
FlowMotion used CFD to analyse the airflow and heat transfer around an electronic component and its heat sink. The detailed model resolved the flow passages between the cooling fins and the surrounding enclosure.
The simulations provided the local velocity and temperature fields and showed how the available cooling air passed through and around the heat sink. Regions with insufficient flow or recirculation could be identified and related directly to local component temperatures.
Different heat-sink geometries and arrangements could then be compared within the severe space constraints. This allowed the thermal design to be improved before hardware modifications were made.
