Natural convection cooled enclosure

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SUMMARY

The discussion focuses on determining the heat dissipation from a transformer housed in a natural convection cooled enclosure. Key factors include the area of the enclosure, the heat output of the transformer, and the ambient air temperature. It is established that at steady state, the heat leaving the enclosure equals the heat generated by the transformer. For accurate modeling, numerical analysis methods such as Finite Element Analysis (FEA) are recommended, as analytical approaches may not yield precise results.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of natural convection principles
  • Knowledge of heat transfer concepts
  • Familiarity with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) tools
  • Basic principles of thermodynamics, including Archimedes' principle and Newton's law of heating
NEXT STEPS
  • Research how to apply Finite Element Analysis (FEA) for thermal modeling
  • Learn about natural convection heat transfer calculations
  • Explore tools for thermal simulation, such as ANSYS or COMSOL Multiphysics
  • Study methods for measuring internal temperatures in enclosures
USEFUL FOR

Engineers, thermal analysts, and anyone involved in the design and thermal management of electrical enclosures, particularly those working with transformers and natural convection cooling systems.

CruiserFJ62
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I have a transformer in a box that is cooled using natural convection. There are louvered openings on the box to pull cool air in the bottom and let heated air out of the top. How do I determine how much heat is actually leaving the enclosure? Info that I have is the area of the enclosure, the amount of heat that the transformer is putting out, ambient outside air temp. Any suggestions or websites that would get me going?
 
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At steady state the amount of heat going out is the amount of heat generated by the transformer. This is fundamental. Are you perhaps more interested in the actual inside temperatures?
 
Yes, what is the temp inside the enclosure? I am trying to determine if the natural convection through the louvers can pull enough heat out to keep the transformer below its rated operating temp. Any ideas?
 
Is this something you could model using FEA? It seems to me the problem would be a little too complex for an analytical approach.
 
That would be tough to do without some kind of numerical analysis. You could maybe ballpark it with Archimedes' principle and Newton's law of heating but that would be based on some big assumptions.
 
Yea, you might be within an order of magnitude.
 

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