Introduction to Icepak in AEDT

Module 2 – Lecture 3: Flow and

Thermal Boundary Conditions

Release 2020 R1

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 AEDT Icepak Flow and Thermal Inputs

Boundary Description
Condition
Opening Create holes and allow air flow
Flow BCs

Grille Simplify perforated vents

Resistance Calibrated flow/thermal models

Fan Apply a fan curve or a fixed flow rate

Block Apply power dissipation in a volume

Network Model complex objects using thermal networks

Thermal BCs

Plate Represent thin objects

Created BC appears
Source Apply power dissipation on a 2D surface
under Thermal node
Wall Apply thermal BC on 2D surfaces (temperature, heat flow, Select geometry → in the Project
heat transfer coefficient)
Right-click → Assign Manager
EM Loss Apply heat loads from an EM design (HFSS/Maxwell/Q3D) Thermal

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 AEDT Icepak Opening Boundary Condition

• Opening boundary condition

‐ Select face of domain or surface in model
‐ Right-click → Assign Thermal → Opening…
‐ Select either pressure or velocity as inlet type

Pressure Opening Velocity Opening

Opening Boundary Condition
• Pressure Opening
‐ Usually used for outlets and
natural convection
• Velocity Opening
‐ Usually used to prescribe
velocity at inlets

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 AEDT Icepak Grille Object

• Grilles to simplify perforated vents. Custom loss curves can be imported and exported using tab
separated text files

Loss coefficient
uses textbook
formulas as a
function of free
area ratio

Loss coefficients can be obtained from Handbook of Hydraulic Resistance by I. E. Idelchik

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 AEDT Icepak Resistance Object

Resistances are useful to

model compact heat sinks,
filters, wire bundles, power
Uniform
supply units, etc.
volumetric
power

Low Flow
Resistance
Three
pressure
loss types,
similar to
grille
objects

Low Flow
Resistance
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 AEDT Icepak Fan Object – 2D Fan

• Create a relative coordinate system

• Right click on 3D components in Icepak design under Project Manager
• Choose Create → Fan…
• Enter the specifications as needed

2D Fan

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 AEDT Icepak Fan Object – 3D Fan

• Create a relative coordinate system

• Right click on 3D components in Icepak design under Project Manager
• Choose Create → Fan…
• Enter the specifications as needed

3D Fan

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 AEDT Icepak Fan Object – Properties
Can import and export tab
separated text files

Changes flow direction

Internal fans must have fan

curve. Intake and exhaust
fans can specify volume or
mass flow rates

Swirl RPM applies 5% of Data points must include

the axial velocity in the value at zero flow rate and
tangential direction zero pressure rise

Flow types available:

• p-q curve
• Fixed volumetric flow rate
Hub Power • Fixed mass flow rate
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 AEDT Icepak Block Object

• Blocks to apply power dissipation in a volume.

Fixed heat Fixed temperature Internal conditions

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 AEDT Icepak Network Object

Junction to board
thermal resistance

Junction power

Summary of
network properties

Junction to case
thermal resistance

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 AEDT Icepak Plate Object
Plates to not mesh thickness of very thin objects.
Conducting Plates Adiabatic Plates
• Can be used for thin high conductivity bodies as well • Useful for baffles and non-conducting enclosures
as adhesives and thermal interface materials • Does not allow any heat transfer
• The thickness is not meshed, but it is taken into
account in the solver

Thermal specification types:

• Thickness
• Conductance
• Thermal Resistance
• Thermal Impedance

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 AEDT Icepak Source Object

• Total Power
‐ The power is uniformly distributed as a heat flux
over all surface faces.

• Surface Flux
‐ Applies a constant heat flux over source faces.

• Fixed Temperature
‐ The solver iterates to obtain the correct power
required to maintain the specified temperature.

• Radiation
‐ If selected, surface properties are applied in the
radiation calculations.

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 AEDT Icepak Wall Object
• Walls to apply thermal boundary conditions on 2D surfaces (temperature, heat flow,
heat transfer coefficient).

Heat flux specification Fixed temperature Heat transfer coefficient

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 AEDT Icepak – Dataset-based Boundary Conditions
• Boundary conditions can be assigned based on datasets
• Temperature dependent BCs assigned using 1D design
dataset
‐ Supported Boundary Conditions:
• Power: Block, Plate, Source
• Heat Transfer Coefficient: Block, Wall
• Heat Flux: Block, Source
• Spatial profile BCs assigned using 3D design
datasets
‐ Supported Boundary Conditions:
• Blocks: Power
• Openings: Temperature, Pressure, X/Y/Z Velocities
• Resistance: Power
• Source: Heat Flux
• Wall: Heat Flux, temperature, Heat Transfer Coefficient

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 AEDT Icepak EM Loss Link
EM Loss to apply heat loads from an EM solver (HFSS, Maxwell, and Q3D)

Choose the EM Source Model Setup Variable Mapping Select the EM Frequency

Icepak automatically populates Mapped variable changes will be Select the correct frequency to
Source Design and Solution Inputs updated in Icepak compute losses
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 How to Assign Object Material Properties

Right-click in History Tree

From the Object Properties Panel

Use CTRL + Shift to

select many objects
OR

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 Solid and Fluid Material Libraries

Materials Database Manager

Tools → Edit Libraries → Materials View/Edit Materials…

Search for String or Property

Display only
relevant properties

Sanity Check Inputs

Create from scratch Duplicate Material Delete User

Material

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 Anisotropic Properties
Anisotropic Material Properties for Anisotropic Material Properties for
Thermal Conductivity Thermal Expansion Coefficient

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End of presentation