Use of Computer Simulation to Optimize Thermal Design of Military Electronics Systems

Increasingly designers are being pushed towards producing smaller pieces of equipment containing more powerful electronics. As a result this equipment is producing more heat which is more difficult to dissipate. Given the harsh environments that military hardware has to operate in and calls for high reliability this is a growing issue. Designers are unable to rely on cooling devices which can be used in less critical applications so have to turn to more innovative methods. The problem is that these ideas have to be tested. Traditionally this may take the form of a prototype test to prove that a technique works. However, more often than not the design is not ideal and requires modification and lengthy re-testing at high cost in both time and money. A solution is the use of computer simulation during all design stages to investigate design concepts and to test the final design prior to prototype testing. This paper discusses the computer simulation technique known as Computational Fluid Dynamics (cfd) as applied to the field of electronics design.