Eur. Phys. J. Plus (2018) 133: 93
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjp/i2018-11914-3

Regular Article

Thermal behavior of an active electronic dome contained in a tilted hemispherical enclosure and subjected to nanofluidic Cu-water free convection

¹ Université de Paris, Laboratoire Thermique Interfaces Environnement (LTIE), 50, Rue de Sèvres, EA 4415, F-92410, Ville d’Avray, France
² University of Bath, Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Claverton Down, BA2 7AY, Bath, UK

^* e-mail: abairi@u-paris10.fr

Received: 28 July 2017
Accepted: 30 January 2018
Published online: 6 March 2018

Abstract

This study examines the thermal behavior of a hemispherical electronic component subjected to a natural nanofluidic convective flow. During its operation, this active dome generates a high power, leading to Rayleigh number values reaching 4.56×10⁹ . It is contained in a hemispherical enclosure and the space between the dome and the cupola is filled with a monophasic water-based copper nanofluid whose volume fraction varies between 0 (pure water) and 10%. According to the intended application, the disc of the enclosure may be tilted at an angle ranging from 0^° to 180^° (horizontal disc with dome facing upwards and downwards, respectively). The numerical solution has been obtained by means of the volume control method. The surface average temperature of the dome has been determined for many configurations obtained by combining the Rayleigh number, the cavity’s tilt angle and the nanofluid volume fraction which vary in wide ranges. The temperature fields presented for several configurations confirm the effects of natural convection. The results clearly highlight the effects of these influence parameters on the thermal state of the assembly. The study shows that some combinations of the Rayleigh-tilt angle-volume fraction are incompatible with a normal operating system at steady state and that a thermoregulation is required. The correlation of the temperature-Rayleigh-Prandtl-angle type proposed in this work allows to easily carry out the thermal dimensioning of the considered electronic assembly.