Steady-State and Transient Simulations of Heat Dissipation from an Electronic Component Kept in a Closed Enclosure Using OpenFOAM

All electronic components and circuitry generate heat when current is passed through them due to its resistance. Reliable open-source solvers for obtaining the heat dissipation rate are of great importance to the industrial sector. The failure rate of the electronic components can increase exponentially with temperature. Without proper design and control, high rate of heat generation results in high operating temperature of electronic equipment, which reduces their safety and reliability. Therefore, before manufacturing of equipment, proper study in the heat generation should be conducted, and the type of cooling system shall be selected appropriately. This work studies the heat dissipation of built-up heat in electronic components. The open-source CFD package OpenFOAM is used to develop a numerical model of an electronic component placed in a closed enclosure. An experimental apparatus is used to validate the results obtained from CFD analysis. The validated CFD model can then be used to simulate heat dissipation from any component within the range of velocities for which the test is conducted.