Boyd Genie Heat Source and Heat Sink Orientation

Heat Source Location

In Boyd Genie, you can add devices to your heat sink before simulating thermal performance. Boyd Genie has a graphical user interface (GUI) for heat source placement on your heat sink, but an important thing to consider is how your heat sink is oriented in relation to the GUI.

If you take a heat sink resting on your desk with the base resting on the surface, pick it up, make sure the fins are oriented vertically and press it to the screen where the GUI is, that’s how your heat sources and heat sink are placed in relation to each other.

Your heat sink base touches your screen, with the flow length as the vertical dimension.

Thermal Interface Material Placement

If you add thermal interface resistance to your heat sources, they will be placed in between the heat source GUI and your heat sink. For more information on thermal interface materials, what they do, and how to use them in Boyd Genie, see our Boyd Genie Thermal Interface Material post.

Air Flow Orientation

Standard forced convection applications have flow coming from the bottom of the screen going towards the top. If you chose fixed impinged air flow, that air flow would come from your direction (in front of the computer screen) straight down on top of the fins.

In natural convection simulations, vertically oriented heat sinks are oriented just like the hypothetical heat sink you’re holding up to the screen.

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