Flomerics has released Version 7 of its Flotherm electronics thermal analysis software featuring a new Response Surface Optimization capability that Flomerics believes is unrivalled in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis software. Earlier versions of Flotherm included a sequential optimization capability allowing users to specify combinations of design parameters and iterate sequentially towards the best design. The new Response Surface Optimization goes further by fitting a 3D surface to the entire design space, enabling engineers to visualize the complete interaction of the design parameters with the design goal as well as identifying the optimum to a greater degree of accuracy. The user begins Flotherm’s optimization process by defining design goals in the form of a “cost function”, and the ranges over which key design parameters may be varied. The cost function may be a single, simple value such as the junction temperature of a particular component, or a complex linear combination of values including weighting. Flotherm automatically creates and runs the required number of simulations to explore the entire design space in the most cost-effective way. Flotherm’s new optimization module then generates a “response surface” showing the value of the design goals for all the combinations of variables that were run. The response surface can be viewed through either a 2D or 3D chart window making it easy to visualize the sensitivity of the cost function to changes in particular design parameters. The optimum value of the cost function is automatically identified and saved as a new project file. This project file can then be solved to confirm the global optimum. The ability to visualize the entire design space and the response surface brings many benefits including: better design insight and intuition; rapid determination of which design parameters are crucial and which are unimportant; instant assessment of the effects of manufacturing variations, and so on. Common real-world applications of the optimization process include: heat sink design; PCB component placement; fan/blower selection and the location of vents. Another important new capability of Flotherm Version 7 is the ability to embed arbitrary conductive thermal resistor networks within the overall fluid dynamics simulation. This enables semiconductor packages with high levels of internal complexity such as multi-chip modules to be represented simply but accurately using combinations of several thermal resistances. In addition, the ability to define thermal capacitances within the resistor network allows for the transient response of the model to be predicted.