Effect of the Configuration and Shape of External Ribs of Sealed Enclosures of Electronic Devices on Heat Removal Efficiency

Abstract

Introduction. Modern computing and electronic devices are constructed on the basis of radio-electronic components, such as processors, graphics processing units, etc. During operation, these components emit tens of watts of thermal energy. Therefore, effective excess heat removal from both semiconductor electronic devices and electronic systems as a whole through the use of passive or active cooling systems represents an important research problem. Aim. To study the influence of the configuration and shape of external ribs of sealed enclosures of electronic devices, which use solely passive cooling systems inside, on the efficiency of heat removal from the processor for eachenclosure design under consideration based on their comparative analysis. Materials and methods. Simulation experiments were carried out using 3D parametric models of various device types, which were developed in the SolidWorks Flow Simulation software environment. These models differed in terms of configuration of thermal channels formed by the external enclosure ribs. Results. The conducted simulation experiments allowed the authors to study the cooling process of processors installed in modern electronic devices. The influence of the configuration and shape of the enclosure ribs on excess heat removal from the processor was studied in a passive cooling mode and when blowing the devices with air moving from above (perpendicular to the cover) or laterally (parallel to the cover) with a gradual increase in a processor power from 10 to 25 W. A ribbed enclosure with passive cooling was shown to ensure a more effective heat removal from a 10 W processor compared to a non-ribbed enclosure (the temperature drop is 4.1 °C). For a 25 W processor, this value comprises 11.01 °C. When blowing the device, the direction (perpendicular or parallel) of air movement significantly affects the cooling efficiency of the heated surface (with a processor power of 45 W, the difference is more than 10 °C). Conclusion. The developed 3D models effectively simulate the cooling system of heat-loaded high-power radio-electronic components located in sealed enclosures, due to the implementation of their external ribbing.