Experimental study of the effects of a transversal air-flow deflector in electronics air-cooling

This paper presents an experimental investigation of the influence of a transversal flow deflector on the cooling of a heated block mounted on a flat plate. The deflector is inclined and therefore it guides the air flow to the upper surface of the block. This configuration is simulating the air-cooling of a rectangular integrated circuit or a current converter mounted on an electronic card. The electronic component is assumed dissipating low heat power, as such, air forced convection is still a sufficient cooling way even without fan or heat sink on the component. The measurements are given by hot and cold wires anemometers and by an InfraRed camera. The results give details of the effects of the deflection on the hydrodynamic and the thermal fields on and over the block for different inclination angles. They show that the deviation caused by the deflector may significantly enhance the heat transfer from the component. Deflection is also able to avoid local overheating of the electronic component. Optimum heat transfer rate and homogenised temperature are shown to be obtained with an inclination angle α=30°.