• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.771-779
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• 1989

Numerical analysis by SIMPLE algorithm has been performed to predict the characteristics of flow and heat transfer in channels between the printed circuit boards of an electronic cabinet. It is assumed that the electronic parts release uniform heat flux per unit axial length to the cooling air. The air flow between channels is assumed fully developed laminar, incompressible, and mixed convective. In this study, the electronic parts are mounted on both sides of the prinked circuit boards by two kinds of configuration such as the zig-zag and the symmetric one. The Rayleigh numbers ranging from 0 to 10$^{6}$ are considered to predict the characteristics of the main flow and the secondary flow occurred by natural convection, the temperature distribution in channel, the heat transfer rate from heated electronic parts and the increase of friction factor by natural convection. As the results of numerical calculation, several conclusions are drawn as follows. The influence of natural convection on the flow characteristics appears strong when the Rayleigh number is above 10$^{4}$. The main axial flow rate decreases by a half or more at the Rayleigh number of 10$^{6}$ . Although the friction factor increases as Rayleigh number increases, the increasing rate of heat transfer is higher than that of the friction factor. The cooling efficiency of the zig-zig-configuration is superior to that of the symmetric configuration at same Rayleigh number.