Visualization of forced air flows over a populated printed circuit board and their impact on convective heat transfer

J. Lohan, V. Eveloy, P. Rodgers

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

A detailed characterization of the airflow patterns around Printed Circuit Board (PCB)-mounted electronic components has been undertaken using three different, but complementary flow visualization techniques. Uniform airflows of 2 m/s, 4 m/s and 5.5 m/s were directed over Plastic Quad Flat Pack (PQFP) components mounted on a double Euro-Card PCB. The complexity of PCB topology and resulting flow phenomena, was increased in three stages from just one, centrally placed component, to seven components and finally to the most complex case consisting of a symmetrical in-line array of fifteen components. Traditional smoke- and paint-flow visualization techniques, as well as a novel paint-film evaporation technique, were applied to help identify the sensitivity of the flow phenomena and its impact on convective heat transfer, to both air velocity and PCB topology. Combined, these techniques not only helped characteristic features of these flows such as separation/reattachment points, re-circulation zones and horseshoe vortices to be identified, but also showed in a qualitative way, using the evaporation technique, how these flow phenomena impact on PCB/component surface heat transfer. Linking the flow phenomena with the surface heat transfer in this way also provides, in the early design phase, a means of identifying both an appropriate numerical flow modeling strategy for the flow phenomena present, and the locations of high aerodynamic disturbance on the PCB, where temperature prediction accuracy must be viewed with caution.

Original languageBritish English
Title of host publicationITHERM 2002 - 8th Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems
EditorsBahgat G. Sammakia, Yogendra K. Joshi, Ganesh Subbarayan, Cristina H. Amon, Koneru Ramakrishna, Sanjeev B. Sathe
PublisherIEEE Computer Society
Pages501-511
Number of pages11
ISBN (Electronic)0780371526
DOIs
StatePublished - 2002
Event8th Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems, ITHERM 2002 - San Diego, United States
Duration: 30 May 20021 Jun 2002

Publication series

NameInterSociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems, ITHERM
Volume2002-January
ISSN (Print)1936-3958

Conference

Conference8th Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems, ITHERM 2002
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySan Diego
Period30/05/021/06/02

Keywords

  • Circuit topology
  • Electronic components
  • Electronics packaging
  • Heat transfer
  • Joining processes
  • Numerical models
  • Plastics
  • Predictive models
  • Printed circuits
  • Visualization

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