In this study, natural convection in a fluid-filled rectangular enclosure is
analyzed using Comsol? commercial software. The fluid in which natural
convection takes place is a dielectric liquid called FC-75. Attached to one
of the vertical walls of the enclosure is an array of rectangular
protrusions, each representing computer chips mounted on a PCB. The nominal
power consumed by each chip is assumed to be 0.35W, 1.07W, 1.65W and 2.35W.
This corresponds exactly to the values used in the experiments, which were
performed once by the author of this study. The results of the experiment
and the numerical study are shown as Nusselt numbers vs. Rayleigh numbers,
both being the most important dimensionless parameters of natural
convection. A comparison of the results has shown that Comsol? can achieve
reliable results in similar problems, eliminating the need to build
expensive experimental setups and spending time conducting experiments. The
simulation results are aimed to be used in similar designs of electronic
circuits in confined spaces.