Defining the Setup

Set up the solution physics and materials for the solid components and the flow domain. For the solver, reduce the maximum number of iterations.

To define the solution physics:
  1. Right-click the Setup > Physics node and select Edit.
    An additional Edit tab opens that displays the default ambient conditions, solution physics, and materials.
  2. Within the Solution Physics group box, set Solve to Forced Convection.
    When solving for a forced convection problem, the Electronics Cooling Module by default solves for flow and energy in a turbulent flow regime.
Within the Materials group box, define the materials for the graphics card components:
  1. Next to the Solid Sim Materials box, click Select.
  2. Within the Select Materials dialog, in the Solid Simulation Materials box, select Al.
  3. In the table of material properties, set Thermal Conductivity to 167 W/m-K.
  4. Click Add Material.
  5. From the database of standard solid materials, select Si (Silicon) and click OK.
  6. Set the Si material properties to the following values:
    Property Setting
    Thermal Conductivity 124 W/m-K
    Specific Heat 700 J/kg-K
    Density 2330 kg/m^3
  7. In the list of materials, select Si and click Duplicate Material.
  8. Select the added material and set the following properties:
    Property Setting
    Material Name ABS
    Thermal Conductivity 2.5 W/m-K
    Specific Heat 2050 J/kg-K
    Density 1050 kg/m^3
  9. Repeat steps 8 and 9 to create another solid material using the following properties:
    Property Setting
    Material Name Alumina
    Thermal Conductivity 30 W/m-K
    Specific Heat 850 J/kg-K
    Density 3960 kg/m^3
  10. Click Apply and Close.
  11. Finish the setup by clicking Close at the bottom of the tab.
In this tutorial, the simulation converges within 500 iterations. To set the maximum number of iterations:
  1. Right-click the Setup > Solver node and select Edit.
  2. Within the Stopping Criteria group box, set Maximum Steps to 500.
  3. Click Close.
Save the simulation:
  1. In the System toolbar (see Toolbar Reference), click (Save).