Conjugate Heat Transfer & Thermal Analysis for Sealed Electronics Enclosure

Objectives

What the project needed to achieve

• Predict steady-state junction temperature of the hottest IC under 45 °C ambient and full load
• Identify hotspot regions inside the sealed enclosure before prototype
• Recommend wall-thickness, fin, and component-placement changes that lower hotspots without breaking IP66
• Document a thermal margin the client can defend to their compliance team

Challenge

Engineering constraint

The client needed confidence that a sealed IP66 enclosure could protect sensitive electronics in continuous outdoor operation without creating thermal hotspots. Traditional rules-of-thumb suggested vent slots, but the IP rating made venting non-negotiable — the only paths for heat were conduction through the housing and natural convection inside the sealed volume.

Approach

How YantriX approached the work

1. 01

   Built a CFD model of the enclosure with conjugate heat transfer — solid conduction through housing walls coupled with natural convection inside the sealed air volume.

2. 02

   Loaded the model with realistic component power maps from the client’s electrical team and a 45 °C outdoor-rooftop ambient boundary.

3. 03

   Identified a 14 °C hotspot above the SoC caused by a stagnant convection cell in the upper-right corner of the enclosure.

4. 04

   Iterated component layout (rotated the SoC PCB by 90°), introduced internal aluminium fins thermally bonded to the housing, and re-ran the CFD to verify the fix.