Riassunto analitico
Thermal management is of utmost importance in power electronics design and reliability, particularly as devices become smaller and function at higher efficiencies. Thermal simulation must be accurate in order to predict and ensure an optimal performance, avoid the possibility of overheating, and maximize the lifespan of power converter operation. Hence, the subject of this thesis is the thermal simulation of a power supply, considering only heat generated by the major components and how it is dissipated. Once the power losses in those devices have been estimated, a Finite Element Method (FEM) model has been developed to simulate the thermal behavior of the system. Throughout the study, it was clear that the determination of the heat transfer coefficient of air in order to define convection boundary conditions was very challenging. To overcome this problem, a Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis was used, which offered a more suitable method of approximating convective heat transfer, and it also avoided the estimation of the heat transfer coefficient on the surfaces exposed to air. The thesis compares the results obtained from both methods, highlighting the differences and demonstrating the advantages of using CFD for more accurate prediction of thermal behavior in power converter applications.
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