Numerical Simulation Study on Heat Dissipation Characteristics of Airborne Electronic Equipment

In response to the heat dissipation challenges brought about by the development of high-integration and high-power-density airborne electronic equipment in the aerospace field, this paper adopted numerical simulation methods to study the heat dissipation characteristics of electronic equipment in the chassis. A three-dimensional physical model was established via ANSYS Fluent software. The influence of airflow （air supply and return） configuration, heat source height, and air supply and return area on flow and heat transfer characteristics was systematically analyzed. The variation laws of maximum, average, and standard deviation of temperature on the heat source surface were explored emphatically. Results showed that among the airflow directions, the bottom-supply/top-return performed the best. Compared to the least effective front-supply/rear-return configuration, the bottom-supply/top-return configuration reduced the maximum ang average temperature by 15.3°C and 11.5°C, respectively, representing reductions of 26.9% and 27.2%. The heat source height had a significant impact on the heat dissipation performance of the front-supply/rear-return as well as the side-supply/side-return, with the maximum variation of 48.5% and 49.2% in the average and maximum temperatures, respectively. The influence on the heat dissipation performance of the front-supply/top-return and bottom-supply/top-return was relatively small, with the maximum variation of 2.2% and 17.7% in the average and maximum temperatures, respectively. The influence of the air supply and return area on the heat dissipation performance was minor, with the variation within 10.7% and 13.2% in the average and maximum temperatures, respectively, under different air supply/return areas. The research results can provide a theoretical basis and engineering reference for the thermal design of aircraft electronic equipment compartments.