Energy-Efficient Thermal Management of Periodic Electronic Cavities Using the Cascaded Lattice Boltzmann Method: Optimization of the Air Inlet Inclination

Efficient thermal management remains a major challenge in compact electronic systems, where increasing power density and confined geometries exacerbate heat accumulation and non-uniform temperature fields. This study proposes a geometry-driven optimization strategy based on the Cascaded Lattice Boltzmann Method (CLBM) to investigate mixed convection in a periodic cavity equipped with two heat sinks and inclined air inlets. The influence of the inlet inclination angle (ϕ=0°–80°) is systematically analyzed for fixed parameters K=50%, Ra=5×106, Pr=0.71, and Re=700. Numerical results reveal that the inlet inclination strongly governs the flow topology and the associated heat transfer mechanisms. At the optimal configuration, ϕ=45°, the formation of dual convection cells above the heat sinks promotes effective air recirculation and uniform cooling across all active surfaces. Compared with the baseline case (ϕ=0°), the thermal performance exhibits substantial gains: +14% in global Nusselt number, +13.58% on the vertical wall, +17.20% on the horizontal surface, and +23.60% within the micro-cavity. These improvements reflect a significant reduction in thermal resistance and enhancement of cooling uniformity, directly contributing to energy efficiency, component reliability, and extended device lifespan. Overall, this work highlights the potential of inlet-angle optimization as a simple yet powerful geometric control strategy for achieving high-performance and energy-efficient cooling in next-generation electronic enclosures.