Hi there, wondering if anyone might like to cast any wisdom on the following.
I am attempting to use the Electronics Cooling simulation to inform some decision making in designing a steel enclosure that will be placed outdoors. Some of my enclosures currently sit outdoors with direct sun exposure from 6am to 6pm. The enclosure is relatively large (x=700mm, y=950mm, z=2000mm give or take).
Its design incorporates:
* A "skeleton" of 2mm (14 gauge) folded sheet metal
* An outer skin of 0.9mm (20 gauge)
* An inner skin of 0.9mm (20 gauge)
* A door of 2mm (14 gauge)
The objective is to assess whether implementation of forced air cooling can adequately dissipate heat inside the enclosure resulting from direct exposure to the sun (and how much ... FEC is required ... heat is dissipated) relative to ambient temperatures.
And further, to examine impact of insulation materials adhered to the inside of the external skin (but not at that point yet) ... assuming this simulation incorporates thermal conduction / radiation algorithms.
I have done some exploratory simulations as something of a learning exercise where:
* Four surfaces exposed to simulation sun have a heat load of 1360Watts per sq metre (no reflected irradiation yet).
* Two surfaces not exposed to the simulation sun have no heat load.
* Two fans placed high on the back wall of the enclosure exhausting air (their velocity is 5x overstated at the moment).
* Two inlets placed on the floor of the enclosure as close to the front as possible.
* I havent yet started simulating with the enclosure's internal mass ... will get to that when I can comprehend more.
Questions:
1. Am I on a fools erand? (and why?)
2. Assuming the answer to (1) is no, I read (somewhere) that definition of a HEAT SINK is "idealised". In my mind, the internal skin would sink heat through its exposure to the forced air and lack of exposure to the sun.
I am receiving results, but havent quite got my head around them yet.
In the image below, it appears (to my very untrained eye), the air is flowing THROUGH the top face of the door (but without any vector information - its hard to tell).
(Oh dammit - capture image doesnt work on this simulation !).
(hmmm .. made a picture a different way).
Note the orange arrow. - showing air flowing through the door (but is it ?)
Don't get me wrong. The enclosure is not airtight - and nor is it meant to be.
Commentary welcomed !!
Glenn.
P.S. Fusion 360 developers - this simulation module doesn't support space mouse ?
