Model for predicting performance of cooling fans for thermal design of electronic equipment (Modeling and evaluation of effects from electronic enclosure and inlet sizes)

This study describes the performance of cooling fans in terms of the P–Q curve and the maximum flow rate under various environmental conditions. It focuses on the relationship between fan performance and configuration factors such as the electronic enclosure. The presence of an enclosure wall increased the pressure characteristic of the fan performance. The presence of a narrow inlet decreased the flow rate. When the inlet area of the enclosure became smaller than twice the fan flow area, the flow rate was decreased. The maximum flow rate depended on the ratio of the inlet area to the fan flow area. A model for predicting pressure rise and flow rates in the enclosure is proposed. The model is used in a thermal analysis of a PCB model set in an enclosure. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res; Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/htj). DOI 10.1002/htj.20347