We do alot of testing of our heatsinks here at Advanced Thermal Solutions. Our labs are regularly hot with test activity since we prefer to publish accurate test data on our product’s performance. Our LGA heatsink is one in particular.
Our ATS-57000 LGA Heatsink was put through it’s paces and we have some impressive test data.
Scenario: The required thermal target performance was 0.7°C/W with a 60W heat load and 12.4×15.3mm die size. The thermal solution was verified by 3 independent methods; analytical modeling, CFD simulations, and laboratory testing.
What did we do: First, an analytical approach was used to provide a first order calculation of thermal performance. From these calculations we found that a 40 millimeter fan would provide sufficient airflow to meet the cooling objective. These calculations provided a foundation on which to base our solid models on. After modeling the heatsink and fan, the assembly was simulated in CFDesign, a computational fluid dynamics software tool.
Once the optimal heatsink geometry was found in CFD simulation, a prototype was machined and tested in the ATS Fluids Laboratory. The testing involved several different interface materials from grease through phase change material.
What were the results?: During laboratory testing the heatsink thermal resistance was 0.51 to 0.58°C/W with various types of thermal grease. This performance level exceeds the given specification of 0.7°C/W with an 18% margin of safety. A further improvement of approximately 4% can be reached with a higher output AVC fan
Readers of our blog are welcome to email us for the full report. Also, our design is highly scalable to a custom version as well. Because we have an exisiting design your custom costs will be lower than anyone starting from scratch. Drop me some mail at joday@qats.com for your free copy of our report.