Quantifying the Effect of Thermal Contact Resistance on CPU Peak Temperature in a Laptop: A Steady-State Conduction Study
Abstract
A steady-state thermal analysis was conducted to investigate the temperature distribution in a laptop under working conditions. The modeling considered internal heat generation from the CPU and battery, material-dependent conductivities, and surface convection. Initially, perfect thermal contact between components was assumed, neglecting interface resistance. In a second analysis, a small thermal contact resistance was introduced. Results indicated that perfect contact conditions resulted in a 71°C CPU temperature, and a 66°C enclosure surface temperature. Under imperfect contact, the CPU temperature increased tremendously. The total heat dissipated to the environment by convection was calculated to be 54.945 W. The results demonstrate the significance of thermal contact quality in thermal management of electronic systems.
Keywords
References
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Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Energy , Energy Systems Engineering (Other)
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
January 22, 2026
Submission Date
November 26, 2025
Acceptance Date
January 15, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2025 Volume: 2 Number: 2