Tips and tricks for Thermal

Analysis

Ankit Adhiya
Lead Engineer
(ankit.adhiya@ansys.com)
1 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. June 26, 2014
 Content

• Introduction

• General tips: Model building

• General tips: Meshing

• General tips: Convergence

and stability

• General tips: Post processing

• ANSYS R.15 Updates

2 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. June 26, 2014

 Steps in a CFD Project

• Aim: The goal of the model must Define

Define Goal
Goal
be clearly defined. This often
gives direction to the subsequent
steps. Model building
• Some examples:
Solve
– Optimize thermal vias inside a
package to minimize die Discretization
temperature
– Board layout design to get the Analyze results
target packages die Numeric model
temperature under a
specified value Next
– Selection and positioning of step!
fans to maintain the required
flow in the telecom box

3 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Overview: Tips and Tricks

Tips and Tricks are applied in CFD projects to improve modelling efficiency,
reduce design cycle and increase productivity.

In CFD Simulations Tips and Tricks

are used for
– Rapid model creation
– Achieve high quality mesh
– Improve solution accuracy
– Better analyse and
postprocess the results

4 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Workflow in ANSYS Icepak
MCAD Through DM

Model Building Flexible Meshing Solve Post Processing

ECAD

5 © 2014 ANSYS, Inc. June 26, 2014 ANSYS Confidential

 General Tips: Before You Start

Define Your Goals

– What results you are looking for?
• Flow structure, Heat transfer,
Temperature limit

– Degree of detail required

• System level Vs Board level
simulation

– Is Radiation, Gravity important

• Natural convection Vs Forced
Convection

– Laminar Vs Turbulence flow

• Reynolds number

6 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 General Tips: Domain Identification

• Identify the domain:

– Use smallest possible domain without compromising the results.

– Can you use symmetry or periodic boundary?

– Use hollow blocks to change the shape of the domain and reduce mesh
count.

– Apply correct boundary conditions

o Constant T, convective BC, constant q”, …

7 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 General Tips: Model creation using Primitive
Object
• Goal: Reduce run time and increase accuracy.

– Start with a simple model or few components and then populate

the model.

– Can you simplify or reduce the components?

• Replace irregular (Polygonal) shapes with regular (prism and
cylinder) shapes.

– Can you reduce number of components?

• Use ‘individual sides’ specification instead of using plates or
annular blocks.

8 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 General Tips: Model building using
Macros
• ANSYS Icepak includes many macros designed to automate common
model-building tasks.

• Icepak Macros can be used to assist creating different types of packages,

PCBs, heat sinks, heat pipes, thermoelectric coolers, JEDEC test
configurations and DELPHI package characterization

9 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 General Tips: Importing ECAD Files

• Finalize your analysis type

– System, Board or Package Level

• No need to Import any Ecad (Trace)

files for system level

• Try using IDF import for Board level

– Allegro from Cadence, Boardstation from
Mentor, Visula from Zuken-Redac
– Pro/Engineer, SCRC/IDEAS, Unigraphics

• Try including traces for Package level

– BRD file ,Gerber files, NJB file, .BOOL file,
.TCB file, .ANF file

10 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Workflow in ANSYS Icepak
MCAD Through DM

Model Building Flexible Meshing Solve Post Processing

ECAD

11 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Flexible Meshing

• Powerful automated grid generation

• Types of mesh
o Hexa Unstructured
o Hexa Cartesian
o Hexa Dominant (HD)
o Mixed meshing allowed

• Flexible mesh refinement

o Domain level controls – applicable to all
objects
o Individual object level controls
o Multilevel meshing capability

12 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 General Tips: Meshing

• Start with a coarse mesh and always look for the warnings in the Icepak
message windows. Any problem will be caught quickly.

• Ensure that all objects are meshed, especially fans, openings, vents, and
resistance plates.

• If some objects/face are not in the mesh – check whether any other
objects (with high meshing priority) are occupying the same location.

• Invest time in creating a good quality and efficient (less number of cells
with required resolution) mesh.

13 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 General Tips: Non Conformal Mesh

• Use non-conformal mesh where

ever possible to reduce cell counts
and to get a good quality mesh.

• Make sure all the non-conformal

rules (discussed in following slides)
are satisfied during defining slack
values.

14 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 General Tips: Non Conformal Mesh

Conformal Mesh
Mesh Count=1,424,828

Non-conformal Mesh
Mesh Count=386,667
(73% reduction)

Regions with
mesh Mesh isolated in
bleeding regions of interest
Mesh secluded from
outside interference

15 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 General Tips: Non Conformal Mesh
Conformal mesh Non-conformal mesh
Tmax = 94.9 C Tmax = 93.85 C

V = 2 m/s
V = 2 m/s

Similar result with much smaller mesh count

16 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1
 Mesh Guidelines
• Model with care – Eliminate unnecessary small gaps/ overlaps
– Use Model: Snap to Grid and other co-ordinate snap tools as needed
– Helps minimize mesh count

• Local refinement applications:

– Openings/ grilles/ fan annulus - 4 to 6 elements per side
– Flow channels/gaps (example - between heat sink fins) - apply 3 to 5
cells
– Lumped PCBs - 3 or 4 elements in thickness
– Power dissipating objects - apply 3 elements per side
– Heat sinks - 4 to 8 count in Fin height + 3 count in Heat sink base
thickness

17 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Mesh Guidelines : 2
• Mesh Verification
– Ensure that mesh captures Design Intent
– Ensure correctness of Meshing Priorities to achieve Design Intent
– Minimum gaps - Apply suitable values to ensure all necessary
geometries remain
– Quality Measures - check for recommended values

18 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Workflow in ANSYS Icepak
MCAD Through DM

Model Building Flexible Meshing Solve Post Processing

ECAD

19 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 General Tips: Numerical Model (Solver)

• Equations to solve: select only the required equations.

– Conduction only problem – check only temperature

– Forced convection – use ‘sequential solve of flow and energy’

(advanced solve) for better and quicker convergence, gravity
and radiation may not be necessary
– Natural convection – flow and energy must be solved together,
radiation and gravity need to be included.

• Under Relaxation Factor:

– Pressure 0.3 and Momentum 0.7 for forced convection
– Pressure 0.7 and Momentum 0.3 for natural convection, complex
forced convection and models with ‘more nonlinearity’, e.g. many
fans, large velocity or pressure gradients, closed domain ...

• Always use monitor points to monitor convergence of solution.

20 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 General Tips: Radiation

• When is Radiation Important ?

– Radiation is important if thermal resistance due to convection
is of the same order of radiation
– Important in natural convection problems mostly

• A general rule of thumb is given below

– Estimate the ambient/bulk fluid temperature in the model
– Estimate the maximum temperature from the
solution(roughly)
– Stefan Boltzmann law states the radiation flux is proportional
to σ*(Tsur4 – Tref 4 )
• As value of σ is very less, radiation flux will not be dominant unless
the (Tsur4 – Tref 4 ) is significant.

21 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Workflow in ANSYS Icepak
MCAD Through DM

Model Building Flexible Meshing Solve Post Processing

ECAD

22 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 CFD Post : Case Comparison
• Multiple cases can be post processed simultaneously by enabling “Keep
Current cases loaded” option
• Feature useful for comparison studies

23 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Existing Simulation Knowledge Resources

24 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Existing Knowledge Resource

25 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Existing Knowledge Resource

26 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 ANSYS Icepak R15.0
Updates

27 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Content

• Icepak parameters published to the Workbench parameter

manager
– Allows design points, design of experiments, and design
optimization with DesignXplorer

• Q3D Extractor – Icepak one-way coupling

• Graphics enhancements
• Solver enhancements
• Post-processing enhancements
• Miscellaneous Enhancements

28 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Icepak Parameters Published to WB

• Icepak parameters can be

published to the Workbench
parameter manager

• Allows design points, design of

experiments, and optimization
with ANSYS DesignXplorer

• Enables multiple simultaneous

design point solutions with
HPC parametric packs

Design point study of heat sink in wind tunnel,

© 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012
DesignModeler geometry. ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1
29
 Icepak Parameters Published to WB

Icepak and DesignModeler parameters are now

available in the Workbench parameter manger for
design point studies and/or optimization with DX.
Design point solutions can also be “exported” to
review contour results.

30 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Icepak-DesignXplorer PBGA Example

• Design of Experiments solution to obtain

response surface and MOGA (Multiple
Objective Generic Algorithm) used to find
power values from measured
temperatures for PBGA package model

31 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 One-way Coupling with Q3D
• Import volumetric and surface losses from Q3D into
Icepak
– Import volumetric and/or surface losses from Q3D into
Icepak via the Workbench project schematic

32 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Q3D-Icepak Coupling

Forced convection cooling of a coaxial cable

DC simulation with Q3D Q3D geometry linked

to DesignModeler and Temperature contours and
to compute losses velocity vectors from steady-
simplified for Icepak
state solution
33 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1
 View Metal Fraction
• “Show metal fractions” display the percentage of
copper for each trace layer of a package substrate
or printed circuit board.

• The Metal fraction display provides a preview of the

resulting thermal conductivity based on the metal
fractions, which is useful for model verification.
Trace import on a block

Metal fraction on top layer

34 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 Metal fraction on bottom layer ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1
 Display Objects by Type

Select Model > Show Objects

by Type

Resulting display shows object

by type and sub type.

35 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Problem Setup Wizard

Right-click on Problem
Setup to launch
Problem Setup Wizard

Wizard guides
users through a
series of choices
with guidance
to properly
setup the
models physics

36 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Coupled Pressure-Velocity Formulation

• Heat sink example

• Couple P-V formulation 2.6x
faster versus segregated
solver
• 163 versus 500 iterations
• More robust convergence
behavior versus segregated
solver with similar results

SIMPLE Formulation Coupled P-V Formulation

(Icepak default)

37 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 GPU Computing

• New parallel option to enable

GPU computing for certain
solver operations
• Select using Parallel settings
panel
• Accelerates view factor
computations using ray-
tracing radiation
• Accelerates Algebraic
Multigrid (AMG) method for
coupled pressure based solver
• ANSYS HPC license required
for GPU computing

38 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Report Conduction, Convection and
Radiation for Objects
• New summary report
options to report
conduction, convection
and/or radiation heat flow
for objects
• Both Icepak objects and
CAD objects supported
• Easier to determine heat
balance for objects

39 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1

 Happy Computing

40 © 2011 ANSYS, Inc. January 27, 2012 ANSYS Icepak – Validation 1