In this article, Qpedia will explore some innovative thermal management products that have recently hit the market. These new thermal products encompass a variety of thermal management applications from CPU coolers to thermal interface materials (TIM) to sensors and test instruments to advanced materials and concepts.
EC fans provide low-power cooling
A new family of EC (electronically commutated) fans provide cooling in AC applications that prioritize low power and energy savings. Provided by Orion Fans, the fans offer up to 50% lower overall power consumption, with brushless DC motors and voltage transformation inside their motors. This allows applications to meet energy-consumption requirements for programs like Energy Star.
The EC fans are available in 60 mm, 120 mm, 172 mm, and 250 mm sizes. Most of the models are available with a universal voltage range. The 250 mm fans can be purchased with dual-speed functions in 115 V and 230 V models. The series also includes 60 mm, 120 mm, and 172 mm models with IP68-ATEX ratings, enabling them to be used in applications that might involve flammable gas or explosive atmospheres.
3D-Printed Cooler for High Performance Chips
Imec has developed a new impingement chip cooler that uses polymers to achieve a cost-effective fabrication. The cooler features nozzles of only 300 µm, made by high-resolution stereolithography 3D printing. This method allows customization of the nozzle pattern design to match the heat map and the fabrication of complex internal structures. The 3D printing allows production of the whole structure in one part, reducing production cost and time.
Imec’s impingement cooler achieves a high cooling efficiency, with a chip temperature increase of less than 15°C per 100W/cm2 for a coolant flow rate of 1 l/min. It outperforms benchmark conventional cooling solutions in which the thermal interface materials alone already cause a 20-50°C temperature increase.
Thermally Optimized Wedgelocks
Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) has introduced Isothermal Card Edge, ICE-Lok wedgelocks. Wedgelocks are used when electronics cards must be easily replaceable. The wedgelock is a mechanical clamp that allows a card to be swapped quickly, but has the drawback of being a relatively poor thermal conductor. The new ICE-Lok is designed to enhance the card-to-chassis, through-the-wedgelock heat conduction by adding more contact surfaces between the card and the chassis.
The new wedgelock design offers a 30% reduction in thermal resistance compared to similarly sized COTS wedgelocks. This has enabled reduction of component temperatures of up to 10°C in some 100W card applications. ICE-Lok wedgelocks have been thoroughly tested for thermal and mechanical stability with repeated insertion/removal testing. They are designed to meet the dimensional requirements of the VITA specification; and the new friction lock feature ensures that card deformation is avoided.
Boron Arsenide Crystals for Chip Cooling
Three teams from around the US are now saying that crystals of the semiconductor boron arsenide (BAs) show promise in this context and they have measured a high thermal conductivity of more than 1000 W/m/K at room temperature for this material. This value is three times higher than that of copper or silicon carbide, two materials that are routinely employed for spreading heat in electronics.
Researchers predicted that BAs should have a theoretical thermal conductivity as high as that of diamond (2,200 W/m/K), which is the best heat conductor known, back in 2013. However, to reach this high value, high quality crystals are needed since defects and impurities dramatically degrade thermal properties.
Updated Thermal Management Software
Enclosure manufacturer Eldon has updated its thermal management software tool. The software tool has been designed to assist engineering firms, panel builders, and users in dimensioning cooling or heating equipment for electrical enclosures. The tool is used to define a solution that ensures the temperature inside the enclosure does not fall below or exceed the limits required. The tool calculates climate control requirements including heat dissipation within the enclosure, component by component, and generates solutions for both indoor and outdoor applications.
It recommends an array of temperature or humidity modulating and measuring devices, such as air conditioners, heat exchangers, filter fans, vortex coolers, heaters, thermostats and hygrostats. It takes the size of the enclosure as well as the environmental conditions under which it will operate into account. Included in the new version are: ‘Save’ and ‘Load’ functionality; improved power data layout presentation; and a voltage selector for vortex coolers.
Cold Plates Cool IGBTs
New IGBT cold plates from Advanced Thermal Solutions feature a mini-channel fin design for unmatched thermal performance. This ATS series offers a 30% or more improvement in thermal performance compared to commercially available cold plates.
These IGBT cold plates offer a maximum pressure of 60 psi. ATS-CP-1000 cold plate, at a flow rate of 4L/min, transfers 1kW of heat at 5.5°C temperature difference between the cold plate base and inlet fluid temperature. If the coolant has particles, a #60 filter or finer is recommended to remove possible particles in the liquid.