elma electronic used flotherm thermal simulation software from the mentor
graphics mechanical analysis division (formerly flomerics) to optimize the
design of a new advanced telecommunications computing architecture (atca)
platform that is designed to dissipate up to 300 watts in each of its 14 slots.
elma thermal engineers used flotherm�€™s capability to automatically run a series
of flow simulations while varying various dimensions and other parameters to
achieve design goals such as maximizing airflow over the boards. �€�the
optimization of the chassis via thermal simulation studies made it possible to
beat competitors to market with a highly innovative product,�€� said ram rajan,
thermal engineer for elma electronic.
recently, elma made the decision to develop a 13u atca platform that dissipates
4200 watts in the 14 main slots plus another 1120 watts in a rear transition
module (rtm). the boards themselves are 8u tall leaving only 5u for cooling
including the fans and intake and exhaust plenums. �€�this is one of the most
challenging thermal design problems that we have faced,�€� rajan said. �€�at elma
we are strong believers in thermal simulation and use it frequently to design
the spacing for air intake and exhaust, types of fans and blowers, the plenum
space above or below the fans, the placement of air filters and the use of
baffles to optimize chassis thermal management. we evaluated both of the
leading thermal simulation software packages and use the mentor graphics
mechanical analysis division�€™s flotherm because it is more user friendly,
provides superior reporting tools, and our customers have greater confidence in
its accuracy.�€�
rajan utilized flotherm�€™s automatic optimization module to explore the entire
design space. the flotherm optimization module automatically generates a series
of models with design parameters varying over a design space defined by the
user and runs these models while monitoring product performance to identify the
optimal design. �€�i started with the fan to air filter and air filter to boards
dimensions because they determine the airflow spread between the different
boards,�€� rajan said. �€�after i optimized them, i used the flotherm command
center to optimize the intake plenum to exhaust plenum ratio which dictates the
total airflow through the system.�€� rajan specified a goal of reducing the chassis
static pressure while maintaining airflow level and distribution over the
boards at acceptable levels. he specified 10 runs and the flotherm command
center then created a designed experiment that uses these runs to efficiently
explore the design space.
�€�with a couple of designed experiments run overnight, i was able to optimize
every key dimension in the chassis and meet the performance requirements for
the box with a minimum of time and effort,�€� rajan said. the system uses 3
individually removable fan trays with two 120 mm 48v fans in each tray. the
result is that elma s atca carrier-grade 13u system offers unmatched thermal
performance by delivering 40 cfm per slot in the front card cage to cool well
over 200 watts per slot and 6 to 10 cfm over the rtms. �€�the optimization of the
chassis via thermal simulation studies made it possible to beat competitors to
market with a highly innovative product,�€� rajan concluded.
for further information, please contact:
david smith marketing manager
mentor graphics mechanical analysis, uk
81 bridge road
hampton court
surrey, kt8 9hh
uk
tel: +44 (0)20 8487 3000
fax: +44 (0)20 8487 3001
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