Can ANSYS AIM Solve Complex Cooling Fan Calculations?

[jandegreat123]

Hi everyone!
I was wondering if there is a known equation to calculate how the speed of a fan affects the cooling of a heat source. Is there a way to calculate this or know what type of relationship it is?
Thanks!

 

[Dr.D]

The speed of the fan will affect the air flow through the fan. The air flow in turn will affect the heat removed from the source. The exact details depend upon the geometry, the surface of the hot body, and a host of other variables.

 

[Mech_Engineer]

What you're describing is a heat exchanger calculation, which in turn is a heat transfer calculation. Given a certain amount of heat generation and air flow, you can calculate a steady-state temperature.

Here's a useful starting point:
http://www.lytron.com/Tools-and-Technical-Reference/Application-Notes/Heat-Exchanger-Fan-Selection

 

[Kevin Halagan]

I did a similar problem. The difficulty is understanding control volumes when you are using fluid mechanics and heat transfer together. I eventually used ANSYS AIM to solve my problem because it became to difficult.