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Condensation Detection in an
Electronic Device
Introduction
Many systems, for example electronic devices, risk being damaged if exposed to
condensation. Given an amount of moisture in the air, condensation occurs when the
temperature decreases to reach the dew point. Numerical simulations are useful for
obtaining knowledge relevant for preventing the formation of condensation.
Changes in air properties are the primary cause of condensation in some systems. This
example simulates the thermodynamical evolution of moist air in an electronic box
with the aim of detecting whether condensation occurs when the external environment
properties change. The model imports measured data for the air temperature, pressure,
and water vapor concentration and represents it by interpolation functions. The
property data corresponds to conditions observed during a stormy day when the
temperature dropped and humidity increased.
In this simulation, you assume the water vapor concentration to be homogeneous
inside the box and equal to the external concentration. Also, the model setup neglects
diffusion but considers the external concentration changes during the simulation.
Model Definition
A box with square cross section of side 5 cm is placed in a moist air environment. It
contains a heated electronic component and two small slits (1 mm thick) located at the
left and right sides. The simulation is in a 2D cross section of the box, which is
supposed to be long enough in the orthogonal direction. It is made of aluminum and
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the electronic component is made of silicon. Figure 1 shows the model geometry.
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The study computes a simulation over one day and the solution is stored every
30 minutes. The goal is to observe if some condensation appears.
Figure 2: Temperature, pressure, and water vapor concentration interpolation curves over
the course of a day.
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While the temperature gradient is not very large, the power dissipated from the
electronic component clearly influences the temperature field: it heats the surrounding
air and the walls. Cold air enters through the slits by convection. In addition, the air
inside the box is cooled by conduction through the walls. The relative humidity
depends on temperature, pressure, and moisture content. Moreover, the pressure fall
is small enough to consider the relative humidity to be primarily influenced by
temperature and concentration. The relative humidity maximum is located where the
temperature is the lowest but also where the water vapor concentration is the highest.
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Modeling Instructions
From the File menu, choose New.
NEW
Import 1
1 On the Home toolbar, click Import.
2 In the Import settings window, locate the Import section.
3 Click the Browse button.
4 Browse to the models Model Library folder and double-click the file
condensation_electronic_device.mphbin.
A material is only needed on the solid part as the fluid part is going to be defined at
the feature level through the moist air functionality.
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Aluminum
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1>Materials click Aluminum.
2 Select Domains 1 and 3 only.
ADD MATERIAL
Silica glass
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1>Materials click Silica glass.
2 Select Domain 4 only.
DEFINITIONS
Interpolation 1
1 On the Home toolbar, click Functions and choose Global>Interpolation.
2 In the Interpolation settings window, locate the Definition section.
3 From the Data source list, choose File.
4 Find the Functions subsection. Click the Browse button.
5 Browse to the models Model Library folder and double-click the file
condensation_electronic_device_temperature_data.txt.
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Interpolation 2
1 On the Home toolbar, click Functions and choose Global>Interpolation.
2 In the Interpolation settings window, locate the Definition section.
3 From the Data source list, choose File.
4 Find the Functions subsection. Click the Browse button.
5 Browse to the models Model Library folder and double-click the file
condensation_electronic_device_pressure_data.txt.
Interpolation 3
1 On the Home toolbar, click Functions and choose Global>Interpolation.
2 In the Interpolation settings window, locate the Definition section.
3 From the Data source list, choose File.
4 Find the Functions subsection. Click the Browse button.
5 Browse to the models Model Library folder and double-click the file
condensation_electronic_device_concentration_data.txt.
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Fluid 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1>Conjugate Heat Transfer click Fluid
1.
2 Select Domain 2 only.
3 In the Fluid settings window, locate the Model Inputs section.
4 Clear the Reference pressure check box.
5 Locate the Thermodynamics section. From the Fluid type list, choose Moist air.
6 From the Input quantity list, choose Concentration.
7 Locate the Model Inputs section. In the c edit field, type c_ext(t).
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Initial Values 1
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1>Conjugate Heat Transfer click Initial
Values 1.
2 In the Initial Values settings window, locate the Initial Values section.
3 In the p edit field, type p_ext(0).
4 In the T edit field, type T_ext(0).
Heat Source 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Domains and choose Heat Source.
2 Select Domain 4 only.
3 In the Heat Source settings window, locate the Heat Source section.
4 Click the Total power button.
5 In the Ptot edit field, type 1.
Open Boundary 1
1 On the Physics toolbar, click Boundaries and choose Open Boundary.
2 Select Boundaries 3 and 22 only.
3 In the Open Boundary settings window, locate the Boundary Condition section.
4 In the f0 edit field, type p_ext(t).
5 Locate the Exterior Temperature section. In the T0 edit field, type T_ext(t).
MESH 1
Size
1 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1 right-click Mesh 1 and choose Edit
Physics-Induced Sequence.
2 In the Model Builder window, under Component 1>Mesh 1 click Size.
3 In the Size settings window, locate the Element Size section.
4 From the Predefined list, choose Coarse.
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STUDY 1
Solver 1
1 On the Study toolbar, click Show Default Solver.
2 In the Model Builder window, expand the Study 1>Solver Configurations>Solver
1>Time-Dependent Solver 1 node, then click Fully Coupled 1.
3 In the Fully Coupled settings window, click to expand the Method and termination
section.
4 Locate the Method and Termination section. From the Jacobian update list, choose On
every iteration.
Because the problem is nonlinear, updating the Jacobian at every iteration yields
faster resolution.
5 In the Model Builder window, under Study 1>Solver Configurations>Solver 1 click
Time-Dependent Solver 1.
6 In the Time-Dependent Solver settings window, click to expand the Time stepping
section.
7 Locate the Time Stepping section. Select the Maximum step check box.
8 In the associated edit field, type 0.25.
Because the temperature and pressure variations can be quick, imposing a reduced
time step helps to capture all curve variations.
9 On the Home toolbar, click Compute.
RESULTS
Velocity (nitf)
The first default plot shows the velocity profile at the last time step.
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Temperature (nitf)
The second default plot represents the temperature profile at the last time step, as
shown in the top panel of Figure 3.
2D Plot Group 4
1 On the Home toolbar, click Add Plot Group and choose 2D Plot Group.
2 In the Model Builder window, under Results right-click 2D Plot Group 4 and choose
Surface.
3 In the Surface settings window, click Replace Expression in the upper-right corner of
the Expression section. From the menu, choose Conjugate Heat Transfer (Laminar
Flow)>Relative humidity (nitf.phi).
4 On the 2D plot group toolbar, click Plot.
Compare with the relative humidity profile in the bottom panel of Figure 3.
5 In the Model Builder window, right-click 2D Plot Group 4 and choose Rename.
6 Go to the Rename 2D Plot Group dialog box and type Relative Humidity in the
New name edit field.
7 Click OK.
choose Rename.
2 Go to the Rename 1D Plot Group dialog box and type Maximum Relative Humidity
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