NFX CFD
Overview
This video covers the basics of natural convection by analyzing air flow driven by temperature-induced density differences, without using a fan or pump.
Natural Convection Analysis Workflow :
• Model & Fluid Setup
A typical electronics-cooling model consisting of a heat source, heat sink, and PCB is used. Air is treated as a compressible fluid, with the Floatability-by-Density option enabled to capture the buoyancy effect caused by density changes.
• Boundary Conditions & Convergence
A fixed temperature is applied to the heat source, while a convection condition is applied to the PCB surface to simulate heat dissipation into the surrounding air. Because natural convection converges more slowly than pressure-driven flow, sufficient computation time and resources are required.
• Temperature & Flow Analysis
Temperature contours and vectors are used to examine the natural convective pattern as heated air rises around the heat source, along with the resulting temperature distribution across each component.
The video demonstrates how natural convection can be analyzed to predict and verify heat dissipation from an electronic device without external cooling hardware.
Download Example Files
Natural Convection Analysis Workflow :
• Model & Fluid Setup
A typical electronics-cooling model consisting of a heat source, heat sink, and PCB is used. Air is treated as a compressible fluid, with the Floatability-by-Density option enabled to capture the buoyancy effect caused by density changes.
• Boundary Conditions & Convergence
A fixed temperature is applied to the heat source, while a convection condition is applied to the PCB surface to simulate heat dissipation into the surrounding air. Because natural convection converges more slowly than pressure-driven flow, sufficient computation time and resources are required.
• Temperature & Flow Analysis
Temperature contours and vectors are used to examine the natural convective pattern as heated air rises around the heat source, along with the resulting temperature distribution across each component.
The video demonstrates how natural convection can be analyzed to predict and verify heat dissipation from an electronic device without external cooling hardware.