To pinpoint the trouble source, Seagate built a Coolit model and found that, while some cooling air was making its way to the hard drive, a significant portion was not and, instead, circulating back out the intake vent. Air around the hard drive, essentially, was forming a stagnant pocket up against the top of the enclosure.

Finally, the company modeled the impact of exhaust vent changes. The exhaust vent was relocated to behind the hard drive and near the top of the opposite side of the enclosure. This provided an exit for the normally stagnant air and created a natural path across the hard drive and components. Baffles were added to direct air toward the hotter components before it exited.

Seagate's customer was able to introduce its product on schedule. CFD modeling identified the design changes in less than half the time required by physical prototyping. And the results were impressive. Drive temperature dropped from 70 deg C to 58 C, ensuring high system reliability.