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Problems with design reliability?
High operating temperatures are the primary cause of
electronics failure. Designers need to perform thermal
analysis to locate the source of these failures and find
solutions to the problem. However, physical prototyping
is no longer feasible, due to the expense and time
involved. Conventional non-CFD
semiempirical methods of analysis don't work in
high-density electronics environments. The solution is to
use virtual prototyping based on computational fluid
dynamics (CFD).
For the first time, Coolit made the powerful CFD
technology accessible to engineers with a Pentium class
desktop and undergraduate-level knowledge of fluid
dynamics and thermal analysis. "A number of
companies don't use CFD because they think it is
difficult to implement and also costly, requiring a
dedicated individual with the appropriate background,"
states a Raytheon user of Coolit, "That is not
true anymore. Within a day, I installed the software,
built my first model and had an answer that I felt
confident was correct."
CFD can pinpoint junction temperatures within a
degree--even at locations that would be impossible to
physically measure. Now electronics designers can readily
optimize the placement and parameters of components,
simulate conditions not reproducible in a lab, and
efficiently evaluate "what if" scenarios
thereby improving the operation and ensuring the
reliability of electronics. "Without a
doubt," declares a Coolit user from Teradyne, "Coolit
analysis increases the system's reliability and my
productivity by orders of magnitude."
"Coolit is a great tool for catching thermal
problems early" adds a thermal analyst at
Lockheed-Martin Co. "If you have to wait until
after a design is completed before actually testing it,
then you box yourself into a corner with respect to your
design options. Changes late in the game are more costly
than those that can be implemented while there is still
flexibility in component placement and choice."
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