Engineers at InFocus of Wilsonville, Ore., a manufacturer of data and video projectors, have used a computational fluid dynamics software package produced specifically for electronics systems designers to create the cooling system for the company's LP330 Dragonfly multimedia projector.

The notebook-size projector weighs 4.87 pounds.

"Thermal simulation was a crucial factor in the design of this projector," said Catharina Biber, the senior thermal engineer at InFocus. "The major design constraint was size, right from the start, and we knew the small size required could only be achieved if the thermal design, aesthetic design, and design engineers worked closely together."

The company used CFD software called Flotherm from Flomerics of Marlborough, Mass. The product allowed engineers to predict airflow and heat transfer throughout the projector, so that they could create an accurate design without building many experimental models, Biber said.

The software also helped engineers determine the position and size of various air vents, she added.

"Based on our flow models, we were able to decide the optimum placements for the major components and the power supply," she said.