Three Dimensional Conductive Heat Transfer from Discrete Periodic Sources to a Convective Sink

Abstract

Spatially periodic or quasi-periodic heat sources mounted on a laminate are often found in electronic equipment. Power transistors mounted on a cold plate and thermo-electric cooler cells are prominent examples. The solution presented here models these sources as a periodic temperature wave on one surface of a laminate; the other surface is open to convection and the convective heat transfer is assumed to be constant. An equation describing the temperature field is derived which leads to an exact solution for the heat transfer rate. Implications of the solution are discussed with reference to the design of electronic circuit boards.