| Title |
Thermal and Flow Modeling and Fin Structure Optimization of an Electrical Device with a Staggered Fin |
| Authors |
Chiwon Kim ; Kwan-Soo Lee ; Moon Su Yeo |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.6110/KJACR.2017.29.12.645 |
| Keywords |
공랭 ; 전자기기 ; 최적화 ; 엇갈림 휜 Air cooling ; Electric device ; Optimization ; Staggered fin |
| Abstract |
Thermal and flow modeling and fin structure optimization were performed to reduce the weight of an electrical device with a staggered fin. First, a numerical model for thermal and flow characteristics was suggested, and then, the model was verified experimentally. Using the verified model, improvement in cooling performance of the cooling system through the staggered fins was predicted. As a result, 87.5% of total heat generated was dissipated through the cooling fins, and a thermal island was observed in the rotor because of low velocity of the internal air flow through the air gap. In addition, it was confirmed that the staggered fin improves the cooling performance but it also increases the total pressure drop within the cooling system, by maximizing the leading edge effect. Based on this analysis result, the effect of each design parameter on the thermal and flow characteristics was analyzed to select the main optimal design parameters, and multi-objective optimization was performed by considering the cooling performance and the fin weight. In conclusion, the optimized fin structure improved the cooling performance by 7% and reduced the fin weight by 28% without any compromise of the pressure drop. |