Thermal performance of high brightness LED array package on PCB

This paper presents a thermal analysis and experimental validation of natural convective air cooling of a high brightness 3x3 LED array package on a printed circuit board (PCB) during operation from 0 to 180 inclinations. Temperature distribution and heat flow of the LED package are assessed by thermal profile measurement using an IR camera and thermocouples. In addition, a design study on the thermal performance of the packaging structure is also performed. The analysis results reveal that the effect of position and inclination plays an important role in the heat dissipation of the LED package. The heat transfer process of the LED PCB package in natural convection is also modelled and simulated using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method. The proposed thermal analytical study provides a detailed understanding of the thermal response of an open or enclosed LED array PCB unit under various operating conditions. The results provide criteria for setting up a LED array system and for adopting design features that would be beneficial to effective thermal management. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.