Defense
Electroflo® provides a "next generation" electronics cooling simulation program that combines a program that determines
the heat distribution within the electrical component and a second that determines the heat distribution in the total system
into an effective single entity and mathematically handles the "boundary problem" eliminating the need for "guessing."
Outcomes/Impact
The benefits of a software package capable of sub-modeling the electronics components within the "boxes", the boxes themselves
and the interaction of the boxes if they are in close proximity as well as the interface between the overall electronics system
is dramatic. The three sample applications shown below have the potential to open new markets:
1. Crew Compartment Heat Transfer Analysis:
An engineer with limited expertise in CFD and heat transfer can quickly construct models of electronics boxes and place them inside
"parent" electronics cabinet models, which in turn are linked to a model simulating the crew compartment. The electronics models can be
very detailed (to monitor internal components temperatures) or approximate (to capture the overall effect of heat generation). In this
manner, the designer can study the effect of complex electronics systems in close proximity on locations inside the compartment and/or
on sensitive components.
2. Benefit to Electronics Suppliers:
Automotive and aircraft electronics suppliers (such as Delphi and Hamilton Sundstrand) can couple the existing models of their
various electronics modules with a global model simulating the environment (i.e., underhood) to investigate the performance of their
devices in realistic situations.
3. Benefits to OEM:
The OEM can test the thermal performance of electronics modules of their suppliers by importing models of the electronics modules into
their vehicle environment model. This approach can protect the proprietary information of the suppliers because the internal details of
the electronics boxes need not be revealed for the analysis; perhaps, an automated report of components temperature would be sufficient.
Of course, a user with proper authorization would be able to view the interior of the electronics modules.
Perhaps the greatest impact should be the reduction of failures of component parts in many parts of the economy. Military usage
might result in saving the lives of our troops in battle situations. If the electronics in a vehicle fail and immobilize it, the vehicle
can become a “sitting duck”. Thus a better software package can result in improved survivability in the field.
Features
- Coupled Electrical / Thermal / Radiation / Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) Analysis (Accurate Accounting of Self-Heating
Effects Resulting from Flow of Electrical Current in Conductors in the Model)
- Simultaneous Linking of Electrical / Thermal / Radiation / Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) all integrated in a single solver(Automatically updated at each step)
- Automatic Application and Calculation of Radiative Viewfactors with full User Control
over Complexity of Radiation Network
- Nonlinear Loads and Boundary Conditions -Time, Temperature and/or Spatial Dependence
Using Pointers to Functions and/or Tables
- Fully Automatic Meshing
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ElectroFlo Demo-
Thermal Analysis of Junction Boxes
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Engine Controller-
Thermal Analysis of Military Electronics
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