Study on thermoelectric conversion and conjugate heat transfer for PCBA by finite element analysis

Abstract

In this study, the optical sphere and the power analyzer were exploited to measure the optical and power parameters for the high-power LED lamps. The results, derived from the experimental data, were used as the power distribution inputs in the finite element analysis (FEA) for the determination of the temperature distribution for the printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) built in the LED lamp. In the finite element analysis, the conjugate heat transfer model was adapted for the calculation of the heat transfer, including thermal conductivity, convection and radiation. Applied on the power chips located on the PCBA, the graphene thermal interface material (TIMs) had been studied for its effects on the temperature distribution. For an accurate simulation about the LED lamp, the model with closed and compact space was built in the analysis. Compared to the experimental data, it showed that the simulation results had a deviation in the range of 3-5% around the main heating source, the light-emitting diodes. It proves the FEA model proposed in this study were well developed for the simulation of the temperature distribution for the high-power LED lamps which have mixed heat transfer mechanisms. The thermal radiation effects by TIMs with graphene were also investigated in this study and proven to be useful for the heat dissipation for the LED lamps.