Electronics cooling

applications with
ANSYS Icepak 12.0

Fadi Ben Achour

ANSYS Inc.

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 Contents

• SIwave-ANSYS Icepak Coupling

– SIwave and ANSYS Icepak
Overview
– One-way Load Transfer
– Advantages and Limitations
– Joule Heating and Conductivity
Sensitivity examples
• Fan modeling
– Moving reference frame (MRF)
– Using multilevel meshing form
HDM mesher

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 SIwave

• What is SIwave?
– Hybrid 2.5D full wave EM
field solver
– Models layered structures
– Analyses performed
• Signal Integrity
• Power Integrity
• Electromagnetic
Compatibility/Interference

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 SIwave: DC IR Solution
Voltage Loss Distribution Current Density Distribution

I2R Distributed heat source

Add Sources and Sinks for easy analysis

Links to ANSYS Icepak

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 ANSYS Icepak

ANSYS Icepak is robust and powerful computational

fluid dynamics (CFD) software for electronics
thermal management of packages, boards and
systems.

• Steady State and Transient

– Conjugate Heat Transfer
– Conduction
– Convection
– Radiation
• Package, Board, and
System Level Analysis

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 Flexible Automatic Meshing

• Highly Accurate Conformal Meshing

– Represents the true shape of electronic components
– Accurately resolves fluid boundary layer
– Hexahedral, tetrahedral and hex-dominant options

Multi-level hex-dominant mesh on a heat sink- Pin fin heat sink, mesh follows the
fan assembly geometry without any approximation.
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 Integration of Tools

• Working to Integrate Tools

– Initial one-way data exchange of DC power distribution
– Available in SIwave 4.0 and ANSYS Icepak 12.0
– Applicable for package and PCB thermal distribution

Current Density Power Distribution Temperatures

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 Coupling Advantages

• Straight forward, easy to understand and use

• Independent SIwave and ANSYS Icepak
meshes
• Independent SIwave and ANSYS Icepak
solution sequences and post-processing
• All ANSYS Icepak thermal-flow capabilities
are supported
• Accuracy control of load mapping
– Min thermal cell size
– Min power loss per cell

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 Joule Heating Example
Demonstrate the benefits of tools Integration

• Help PCB designers make more

informed decisions on:
– Power dissipation
– Current constraints
– Thermal issues
• General Procedure
SIwave (Trace Layers) 2.5 D Model
1. Run “DC IR Drop” analysis in
SIwave
2. Transfer Joule heating data
from SIwave to ANSYS Icepak
3. Run thermal simulation with
ANSYS Icepak

Icepak (Tracer Layers and Components) 3D Model

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 SIwave Modeling Details

Package
Sink
Locations

Single Via from VRM on

top layer down to
supply plane, VCC

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 Export Power Dissipation

• Export Power Dissipation to ANSYS Icepak

– Min Thermal Cell Size: 3 mm
– Min Power Loss Per Cell: 0.05 milliwatts

Output files (.OUT)

that ANSYS Icepak
reads will be located
in the project
directory.
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 Import Joule Heat Distribution

2 mm & 0.1mW (More Detail)

10 mm & 50 mW (Less Detail)

Specify .out
files from
SIwave for
each layer.
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 Results: Current Density from SIwave
& ANSYS Icepak Temperature
Contours

SIwave : ANSYS Icepak :

Current Density Temperature Contours
Joule Heating (included)

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 Results: Max Temperature on
Components

71%
U6

Temperature (C )
U5 21%
U7
U1 U2

U13
U9 U10

Temperature (C) Temperature (C)
Without Joule heat With Joule heat
PCB 70 120 U2 70 85
U1 63 64 U3 43 44
U10 40 42 U4 68 67
U5 32 32
U11 52 52
U6 31 31
U12 57 55
U7 53 57
U13 31 33 U8 47 50
U14 59 63 U9 38 40
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 Sensitivity Analysis on Electric
Conductivity

• Increased temperature leads to reduction in electric conductivity or

increase electric resistance
• Increased in electric resistance leads to higher joule heating loses
• Increase in joule heating leads to a second order increase in
temperature and electric resistance

Electrical Conductivity Of Copper : s1 = s2 / [1 + a * (T1–T2)] , a= 0.0040 /C

Where: s1 = conductivity value adjusted to T1

Temperature (C) Conductivity (S/m) s2 = conductivity value known or
measured at temperature T2
Case#1 25 5.81E+07
a = Temperature Coefficient
Case#2 50 5.28E+07 T1 = Temperature at which conductivity
value needs to be known
Case#3 75 4.80E+07 T2 = Temperature at which known or
Case#4 100 4.37E+07
measured value was obtained

Reference:
http://www.ndt-ed.org/EducationResources/CommunityCollege/Materials/Physical_Chemical/Electrical.htm

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 Results: Voltage Drop
Comparison Between Case #1 and #4

1.8v Case#1 1.8v Case#4

1.77v 1.77v

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 Results: Temperature Contours
Comparison Between Case #1 and #4

Case#1 Case#4

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 Results: Max. Temperature and
Total Power on the PCB

Temperature (C)

Temperature (C )
Case#1 Case#2 Case#3 Case#4

PCB 40.73 42.78 45.17 47.32

Component Name

Total Power (W)

Total Power (W)
Case#1 Case#2 Case#3 Case#4

PCB 0.8079 0.887 0.976 1.072

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Component Name ANSYS, Inc. Proprietary
 Conclusions

• Initial integration work of ANSYS and Ansoft

products is underway
• Easy, straight foreword methodology for
electromagnetic thermal coupling
• Independent SIwave and ANSYS Icepak
models
• Similar analysis environments
• Creates the foundation for future
multiphysics coupling!
– Transfer temperature profile back to SIwave

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 Need for advanced Fan Modeling
with MRF: (Moving Reference Frame)
• Fan object allows for only simplified modeling of fan behavior
– Pressure drop versus flow rate (P-Q) curve can be system dependent
– Cannot model flow reversal in some regions on the fan surface
– Does not incorporate the effects of blade geometry
– Difficult to quantify the input for swirl?
• Moving reference frame model provides more accurate
representation of the fan flow characteristics

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 Advanced Fan Modeling:
Need for MRF – Swirl

Wind tunnel comparison

• Swirl – radial & tangential
flow components are
better captured in MRF fan
• If swirl is not captured:
– Flow penetration is MRF Fan
exaggerated - usually the
case with fan object
– Fan object may show
excessive cooling i.e.;
lower temperatures

Fan Object

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 Advanced Fan Modeling:
Creating MRF Fan/Impeller
1. Create fan/impeller model
– Axial fan Æ Model blades & hub as ANSYS Icepak CAD block
– Impeller Æ Model blades & hub as ANSYS Icepak polygon blocks/ CAD block
– ANSYS Icepro recommended
2. Create cylindrical fluid block covering entire rotor (blade + hub)
3. Ensure higher mesh priority to the rotor geometry inside the fluid block
4. Create accurate body-fitting mesh using Multi-level Mesher-HD

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 Meshing fan geometry with Multi-
Level Meshing

No Multi-level Mesh Multi-level Mesh

Mesh size = 0.4 mm; Count = 931k Mesh size = 2 mm; Count = 343k
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 Advanced Fan Modeling:
Areas of Application

• Ideal MRF fan applications → where flow

resistances are close to the fan
– Active heat sinks
– Telecom rack like system with cards near fan tray
– “High density boxes” like power supply units
• Vendor’s fan curve may not be applicable in these
cases – MRF fan does not rely on fan curve
• Fan object may not capture effect of radial and
tangential flow components

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 Advanced Fan Modeling:
Case Study 1: Fan Selection
Which fan provides better cooling to
the projector bulb: Type A or Type B ?

Type A Type B

Fan object :      1.41M
Type A (MRF):  1.55M
Type B (MRF):  1.44M
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 Advanced Fan Modeling:
Case Study 1: Results

TypeA TypeB Fan object

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 Advanced Fan Modeling:
Case Study 2: PSU

MRF
Fan object

MRF Fan object

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 Advanced Fan Modeling:
Case Study 3: Telecom Rack

-Back flow into failed fan from

Failed Fan adjacent fans
-Recirculation of heated air

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 Conclusion

• SIwave-ANSYS Icepak Coupling

– Enables more accurate simulation of joule heating in
PCB and package traces
– Allows a more comprehensive and integrated
multiphysics design that reduces failures due to over
heating and thermal-stress
– Users has options to incorporate second order effects
of dependence of copper properties on temperature
• MRF fan modeling
– MRF modeling enables more accurate predictions of flow
patterns and system pressure drop in high density electronics
– MRF reduces error in predicting component temperatures
– MRF provides additional accuracy in predicting flow
turbulence and system noise levels

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