>From: Rick Glazier <[log in to unmask]>
>Reply-To: PCBUILD - Personal Computer Hardware discussion List
><[log in to unmask]>
>To: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: Re: [PCBUILD] running with the cover off
>Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2000 10:31:35 -0400
>
>Just another opinion...  How about wind chill factor?
>Isn't that when things are cooler than they might normally
>be because of the movement of air?
>Isn't the critical question here the AMOUNT of air moving?
>Heat goes into the air... That is a law of Physics.
>Get rid of the air with an open case, or good air flow through
>a closed case, and you get rid of the heat...  Period...
>
I live in the land of "wind chill factors" so I know that you do have a
point about the amount of air flow being a factor in cooling but "wind
chill" has nothing to do with it.  The wind chill factor is due to a person
FEELING more cold because the movement of the air increases evaporation from
the skin surface.  This is also the reason why an increase in humidity makes
a person feel warmer - evaporation from the skin surface is reduced.  It's a
similar phenomenom with machines in that cooling takes place by transfer of
heat from the surface of the machine to the surrounding air or other media.
If air flow is restricted and the air heats up to the same temperature as
the surface of the machine, then no transfer takes place so there is no more
cooling.  If a constant supply of cool air is available, then the heat from
the machine will flow to the cooler air in an attempt to make it warmer.
However, the machine will never get colder than it would be normally.  It
will only cool off faster because the heat transfer away from the machine is
more efficient.
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