How does Sauna compare with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software?
Computation fluid dynamic (CFD) software is a numerical simulation of the Navier-Stokes equation of fluid motion. This method is computationally intensive and only became practical within the last 5-10 years. The two most popular electronics CFD packages are Icepak from Fluent Inc. and FLOTHERM from Flomerics Ltd. CFD’s primary advantage is the ability to predict flow. If you want to model a box with 3 fans, and you don’t know where the air is going, then you may wish to consider the CFD approach. With Sauna, the user must specify the flow rate (Sauna handles all other aspects of the problem). If the flow path is simple so that flow volume is readily calculated (details provided in the Sauna user manual), or for natural cooling, Sauna can be very effective and accurate. But there are situations where CFD software is useful. You should be aware of the drawbacks of CFD: 1. CFD programs focus on air flow and convection. CFD programs are not always effective at handling the conduction and
