Cooling a Hot Problem
See the problem before you build the fix
The real power of CFD is that it turns an invisible problem into something you can actually see and measure. By simulating airflow and temperature, ADC could pinpoint the true cause of the overheating rather than reacting to symptoms – and then trial dozens of potential fixes on screen at almost no cost.
That saved the client significant time and money, and gave them complete confidence that the redesign would work before committing to tooling and production. The overheating field failures stopped, warranty claims fell, and the product’s reputation was protected.
A manufacturer of industrial equipment approached ADC with a frustrating field failure: units were overheating in service, tripping shutdowns and generating warranty claims. The design looked sound on paper, but something about the airflow inside the enclosure wasn’t working – and physical trial-and-error was proving slow, costly and inconclusive.
Rather than keep guessing, ADC turned to Computational Fluid Dynamics. We built a detailed CAD model of the enclosure and simulated the airflow and heat distribution inside it, revealing exactly where hot air was becoming trapped and where cooling was falling short. With the problem clearly visualised, our engineers tested a series of design changes digitally – repositioning vents, reshaping internal ducting and improving the flow path – long before any physical change was made.
The refined design was validated in simulation, then detailed in production drawings ready for manufacture. Instead of months of expensive prototyping, the client had a proven solution in a fraction of the time, with the overheating issue understood and eliminated at the source.
Fighting a problem you can’t see?
