Zero-Equation Turbulence Models for Large Electrical and Electronics Enclosure Applications (LV-17-C078)

Zero-equation turbulence models offer improved speed and, potentially, robustness at the expense of solution accuracy relative to the k-ε and other two-equation models typically employed in CFD simulations. For applications – particularly, initial design – in which absolute accuracy is a lower priority, a zero-equation model is appropriate. We assess several zero-equation models for the thermal modeling of large electronics enclosures (e.g., shipping container size). Comparisons are made between the zero-equation models and benchmark 2D and 3D reference scenarios. Researchers recommend a specific zero-equation model for our target applications and discuss its performance relative to the k-ε model.