Analyze the Results

Analyze the temperature and flow results to determine how well the heat sink and fan perform.

In this example, you create velocity vector and temperature plots to view the flow of air through the model and corresponding temperature differences at different points through the model. If the outlet temperature is higher than the inlet temperature, the air flow is successfully moving heat away from the heat source.

  1. From the Standard section of the action bar, click Feature Manager .
  2. From the Plots tab, double-click the Temperature.1 row.

    Tip: You can also select plots from the tree. Press F3 to display the tree if it is not visible, then click Temperature Field Plots from the Results section of the tree.

    The temperature plot opens in Physics Results Explorer, but the casing obscures our view of the heat sink and fan. You will need to create a plot sectioning cut to look inside.

  3. Create a planar plot sectioning cut by doing the following:
    1. From the Display section of the action bar, click Plot Sectioning .
      A triad appears in the middle of the assembly with the U-Y plane as the default cutting plane.
    2. From the context toolbar, click Show section, behind, and in front of cut .
      The plot sectioning cut section exposes the interior.

    3. From the 3D area, drag a rectangle around the entire model, click Deactivate cut and close to deactivate the planar plot sectioning cut.
  4. Remove the fluid section from the display by doing the following:
    1. From the Display section of the action bar, click Display Group .
    2. From the Item options, select Entities and from the Method options, select Sections.
    3. From the list of Sections, click Fluid Section 1-1.
    4. Click to remove the fluid section from the display.

    The display shows only the solid sections of the CPU.

  5. From the Display Groups dialog box, click to restore the fluid section and click Close.
  6. From the Plots tab of the Feature Manager, double-click the Velocity Vector.1 row.

  7. Review the temperature difference at different points through the chip, the heat sink, and the enclosure by doing the following:
    1. From the Plots section of the action bar, click X-Y Plot from Path .
    2. Name the plot Temperature_plot.
    3. From the Path options, click .
      The Path dialog box opens.
    4. From the Type field, select Point list to create a path from selected points.
    5. Click , and enter (25, 32, -25),(25, 0, -25), and (25, 10, 70) in the coordinates fields.
    6. Click OK.
      The Path dialog box closes, and the app defines the path.
    7. From the Templates, select Temperature, and click OK.
      The X-Y plot shows the trend of air temperature through the path created.

      The air temperature is 300 K at the inlet of the enclosure, 412 K near the surface of the heat source, and 355 K at the outlet. The increase in the outlet temperature of the air shows that the heat is being taken away from the heat source.

  8. Save your work.

Congratulations, you have successfully completed this example!