Inclined Sidewalls to Enhance Turbulent Mixed Convection in a Ventilated Parallelepiped Cavity Enclosing a Heat Source

ABSTRACT Enhancing the cooling of electronic components enables the development and downsizing of electronic devices. This study investigates the impact of inclined sidewalls on cooling performance in 3D turbulent mixed convection in a ventilated parallelepiped cavity with three heat sources on the bottom wall. The enclosure's sidewalls contain slots that allow airflow in and out to dissipate the generated heat. The finite volume method is used to solve the equations governing the configuration considered. Comparisons with available experimental data and current simulation results show good agreement. The flow and thermal fields are analyzed using particle trajectories, iso‐surfaces, and the average Nusselt number. Various airflow slot positions are tested. Moreover, the vertical walls are inclined at different angles, positive ( α = 5°, 10°, 15°, and 20°) and negative ( α = −5°, 10°, 15°, and −20°), to determine the most appropriate position for cooling the heat sources. It is found that the critical position of airflow slots in convective cooling of heat sources corresponds to Case 4 (LD‐RD). Furthermore, inclined vertical walls at positive angles have a greater effect on cooling heat sources than those at negative angles. The results provide new insights into the cooling process of electronic components.