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PROBLEM STATEMENT

This exercise consists of an analysis of an electronics component cooling

design using fins: All electronic components generate heat during the course of
their operation. To ensure optimal working of the component, the generated
heat needs to be removed. This is done by attaching fins to the device which aid
in rapid heat removal to the surroundings. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll
assume that the electronic circuit is made of copper with thermal conductivity of
386 W/mºK and that it generates heat at the rate of 1 W. The enclosing
container is made of a steel with thermal conductivity of 17 W/mºK. The fins
are made of aluminum with thermal conductivity of 180 W/mºK. There is
convection along all the boundaries except the bottom, which is insulated. The
film (convection) coefficient is h=50 W/m2ºK and the ambient temperature is
20ºC.

SOLUTION

 Begin ANSYS (Mechanical APDL) with Start → All Programs →

ANSYS 13.0 → Mechanical APDL (ANSYS). That will bring you to the
main ANSYS Utility Menu

PREPROCESSING

 Defining the Problem.Select job name and analysis type.

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ELEMENT TYPE DATA

 Main Menu → Preferences → Preferences for GUI Filtering.

 Check Thermal, accept default h-Method, OK, as in Figure 6. (This is a
thermal Problem)
 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Element Type → Add/Edit/Delete
 In Element Types, pick Add → Library of Element Types.
 Select (Thermal Mass) Solid and Quad 4 node 55 (that is, PLANE55),
OK.
 In Element Types window, select PLANE55 element and then pick
Options,to modify your PLANE55 element type options
 In Element Types pick Close.

MATERIAL PROPERTIES

 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Material Props → Material Models.

 Material Model Number 1 appears in Define Material Model Behaviour.
 Double click on Thermal, then Conductivity, then Isotropic.
 In Conductivity for Material Number 1 enter 0.386 (W/mmK) for thermal
conductivity, KXX, for Copper, as in Figure 9, OK.
 Close (X) the Define Material Model Behaviour window.
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CREATE GEOMETRY

 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → Create → Areas →

Rectangle → By 2 Corners.
 In Rectangle by 2 Corners of Figure enter coordinates of your main big
rectangular area (A1), WP X = 0, WP Y = 0, Width = 50, Height = 50
(mm), OK.
 If you make a mistake you can return and correct it with Main Menu →
Preprocessor → Modeling →Move/Modify → Areas →Areas, or delete it
with Main Menu → Preprocessor → Modeling →Delete →Areas Only.
 Utility Menu → PlotCtrls → Numbering.
 In Plot Numbering Controls check Area numbers, OK.
 Utility Menu → PlotCtrls → Numbers and review the plot that is similar
to Figure
 To get the reverse video white background of that figure use PlotCtrls →
Style → Color → Reverse Video.
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 To make two other small rectangular areas in top of our domain which we
should subtract them from the main domain,
 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → Create → Areas →
Rectangle → By 2 Corners.
 In Rectangle by 2 Corners of Figure enter coordinates of small
rectangular area (A2), WP X = 10, WP Y = 40, Width = 10, Height = 10
(mm), OK.
 Also for the other one;
 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → Create → Areas →
Rectangle → By 2 Corners.
 In Rectangle by 2 Corners of Figure enter coordinates of small
rectangular area (A3), WP X = 30, WP Y = 40, Width = 10, Height = 10
(mm), OK.
 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → Operate → Booleans →
Subtract → Area.
 In Subtract Areas of Figure 17 select the main area (A1) by clicking on
it.Click 'OK' on the 'Subtract Areas' window. Now you should select the
areas to be subtracted, select the smaller rectangles (A2 &A3) by clicking
on them.
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 To make the Copper section (Heat Generator)

 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → Create → Keypoints → In
Active CS
 In Create Keypoints in Active Coordinate System, enter number and
coordinates of Copper rectangular section keypoints,
 NPT= 100, X = 20, Y = 10, Z = 0, Apply.
 NPT= 200, X = 30, Y = 10, Z = 0, Apply.
 NPT= 300, X = 30, Y = 20, Z = 0, Apply.
 NPT= 400, X = 20, Y = 20, Z = 0, Apply.
 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → Create → Lines → In
Active Coord
 Now in Lines in Active Coord of Figure 19, create lines by picking the
exciting keypoints:
 Picking the Keypoints Number= 100 (a square symbol appears), then pick
Keypoints Number= 200.
 Picking the Keypoints Number= 200 (a square symbol appears), then pick
Keypoints Number= 300.
 Picking the Keypoints Number= 300 (a square symbol appears), then pick
Keypoints Number= 400.
 Picking the Keypoints Number= 400 (a square symbol appears), then pick
Keypoints Number= 100.
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 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → Operate → Booleans →

Divide → Area by Line.
 In Divide Areas by Line of Figure select the main area (A4) by clicking
on it.
 Now you should select the lines to be divided, select the lines which we
just made by keypoints by clicking on them and then click 'OK'.
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 To make the Aluminum section (Fins) and we could:

 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → Create → Keypoints → In
Active CS
 In Create Keypoints in Active Coordinate System, enter number and
coordinates of Aluminum section keypoints,
 NPT= 500, X = 0, Y = 30, Z = 0, Apply.
 NPT= 600, X = 50, Y = 30, Z = 0, Apply.
 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → Create → Lines → In
Active Coord
 Now in Lines in Active Coord , create lines by picking the exciting
keypoints:
 Picking the Keypoints Number= 500 (a square symbol appears), then pick
Keypoints Number= 600.
 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Modeling → Operate → Booleans →
Divide → Area by Line.
 In Divide Areas by Line select the main area (A2) by clicking on it.Click
'OK' on the 'Subtract Areas' window. Now you should select the lines to
be divided, select the lines which we just made by keypoints by clicking
on them and then click 'OK'.
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 You also can see the list of all areas to distinguish them easily,Here the
A1 is the Copper section, A3 is the Aluminum section and the A4 is the
Steel section

DEFINE MATERIAL & ELEMENT ATTRIBUTES

 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Meshing → Mesh Attribute → Picked

Areas.
 In Area Attributes, pick the small rectangle Copper area (A1).
 In Area Attributes,select (Material number = 1, Real constant set = None,
Element type number = 1 PLANE55, Element coordinate sys = 0,
Element section = None), OK.
 Define the Material attribute for other areas (A3 & A4) in the same way,
just change Material number =2 for A3 and Material number =3 for A4.

MESH SIZE

 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Meshing → Size Cntrls → Areas → All

Areas.
 In Element Size on All Selected Area, enter Size Element edge length =
1, OK.

MESHING

 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Meshing → Mesh → Areas → Free.

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 In Mesh Areas,click on Pick All, OK.

DEFINE ANALYSIS TYPE

 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Loads → Analysis Type → New

Analysis.
 In New Analysis, pick Steady-State, OK.

APPLY CONSTRAINTS

 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Loads → Define Loads→ Apply →

Thermal→ Convection → On lines.
 In Apply CONV on Lines, select all the lines which are on the left, right
and top sides except the bottom line, OK.
 The new window, Apply CONV on Lines, will appear, Fill it.This will
specify a convection of 0.00005 W/mm2.K and an ambient temperature
of 293 Kelvin.
 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Loads → Define Loads→ Apply →
Thermal→ Heat Flux → On lines.
 In Apply HFLUX on Lines, select the bottom line, OK.
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 The new window, Apply HFLUX on Lines, will appear, Fill in the
window.
 In order to apply heat source on the small rectangle
 Main Menu → Preprocessor → Loads → Define Loads→ Apply →
Thermal→ Heat Generate → On Areas.
 In Apply HGEN on ARs, seen in Figure 34, select the small copper area
(A1), OK.
 The new window, Apply HGEN on areas, will appear,this will specify
0.01 W/mm2 heat generation rate on area section, OK.

SOLVE THE MODEL

 Main Menu → Solution → Solve → Current LS, review the listed

summary, OK.
 When the solution of the simultaneous equations is complete you will be
alerted that the solution is done.

POST-PROCESSING

PLOT TEMPERATURE

 It is always wise to visually check the computed displacements:

 Main Menu → General Postproc → Plot Results → Contour Plot→
Nodal Solu.
 In Contour Nodal Solution Data → DOF Solution→ Nodal Temperature,
OK.
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PLOT TEMPERATURE

 Main Menu → General Postproc → List Results → Nodal Solu.

 In List Nodal Solution,→ DOF Solution→ Nodal Temperature, OK.

RESULT

Thus , steady state thermal analysis is carried out on the given problem and
the temperature distribution is found out.