CFD Analysis of an Avionic Module for Evaluating Power Distribution as a Thermal Management Measure for a Double-sided PCB

Thermal design aspects of an avionic module including fully populated PCBs housed in a sealed enclosure have been studied by means of computational fluid dynamics. Effect of power distribution between the sides of a double-sided PCB on the case temperature of surface-mounted components has been investigated within a proposed simulation strategy. Simulation-based guidelines have been developed for thermal design of avionic modules, regarding preferable power configuration on a double-sided PCB, representing an alternative approach to thermal management, as compared to introducing additional cooling devices.