Thermal Computations for Electronics: Conductive, Radiative, and Convective Air Cooling

A total revision of the author’s previous work, Thermal Computations for Electronics: Conductive, Radiative, and Convective Air Cooling is a versatile reference that was carefully designed to help readers master mathematical calculation, prediction, and application methods for conductive, radiative, and convective heat transfer in electronic equipment. Presenting material in a way that is practical and useful to engineers and scientists, as well as engineering students, this book provides very detailed text examples and their solutions. This approach helps users at all levels of comprehension to strengthen their grasp of the subject and detect their own calculation errors.

The beginning of this book is largely devoted to prediction of airflow and well-mixed air temperatures in systems and heat sinks, after which it explores convective heat transfer from heat sinks, circuit boards, and components. Applying a systematic presentation of information to enhance understanding and computational practice, this book:

• Provides complete mathematical derivations and supplements formulae with design plots
• Offers complete exercise solutions (Mathcad™ worksheets and PDF images of Mathcad worksheets), lecture aids (landscape-formatted PDF files), and text-example Mathcad worksheets for professors adopting this book
• Addresses topics such as methods for multi-surface radiation exchange, conductive heat transfer in electronics, and finite element theory with a variational calculus method explained for heat conduction
• Presents mathematical descriptions of large thermal network problem formulation
• Discusses comprehensive thermal spreading resistance theory, and includes steady-state and time-dependent problems

This reference is useful as a professional resource and also ideal for use in a complete course on the subject of electronics cooling, with its suggested course schedule and other helpful advice for instructors. Selected sections may be used as application examples in a traditional heat transfer course or to help professionals improve practical computational applications.

Gordon N. Ellison has a BA in Physics from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and an MA in Physics from the University of Southern California (USC). His career in thermal engineering includes eight years as a Technical Specialist at NCR and 18 years at Tektronix, Inc., retiring from the latter as a Tektronix Fellow. Over the last 15 years Mr. Ellison has been an independent consultant and has also taught the course, Thermal Analysis for Electronics, at Portland State University, Oregon. He has also designed and written several thermal analysis computer codes.