Category Archives: Fan

On-Demand Thermal Management Webinar: Methodologies for Fan Characterization and Deployment within a System

The most common air mover in electronic systems thermal management is a fan. In this free, 60 minute, on-demand webinar, ATS teaches you how to characterize your fans to insure they perform to specifications and then how to deploy them for best cooling effect:

Jet Impingement for thermal management: a practical approach to using it in 1U Server Chassis

Jet impingement for thermal management can give you a cost effective, highly directed airflow that can really help semiconductor cooling in your systems. But how do you cost effectively implement such a technology in low cost, 1U servers? Would just going to water, as Google did with their latest patent on a server cooling “sandwich”?

ATS has invented a method to easily deploy jet impingement cooling in both 1U low cost computer servers and in 6U ATCA Chassis. We call it ThermJETTTM. Some of the key elements include:

  • Test results showing cooling PCBs 20ºC better than conventional methods
  • No liquid
  • Relatively easy to implement with mechanical changes

Our readers can learn about ThermJETTTM by calling us at 781-769-2800, emailing us at sales.hq@qats.com or read more at the embedded presentation on ThermJETTTM below:

What are Fan Laws and how do you use them in thermal management design?

During a product’s life cycle a redesign may be carried out which replaces older components with new, higher powered ones. Due to the resulting higher heat flux, increased thermal management is often needed to maintain adequate component junction temperatures and reduce temperature rise within the system.  Fan Laws are useful mathematical tools to understand, compare and contrast different fan approaches.  Using Fan Laws before choosing a fan can help engineers to make solid choices to reduce cost, experimentation and time to market.  ATS’s five-page presentation on Fan Laws for thermal management which includes examples on how to use them, is a good introduction to this important engineering tool:

[slideshare id=4205722&doc=atsslidecastfanlaws-100521141058-phpapp02]

Tony Koryban Mail Bag Archives: Which is a better fan thermal management strategy? Push air into your chassis or pull it out?

Our readers know of Tony Koryban. He always has an interesting take or two on thermal engineering and on the topic of fans in thermal management he’s not silent. Tony received this question in his mailbag on fan use and it’s an age old question:

Dear Tony,

Which is better, mounting a fan at the inlet of my chassis so it pushes the air in, or at the outlet, so it draws the air out?

Hobson
from Quandary, Minnesota

What’s your guess? Or what’s your standard practice? Let’s give Tony a chance to answer by clicking to his answer at this link here: Tony Koryban Mailbag Archives

…. and don’t forget, you can see Tony in person, at Cooling Zone 2010

Five basic steps when designing for a cooling fan for thermal management

As alot of readers can probably tell this is fan week here at ATS’s thermal blog,  so we’re paying some special attention this week to our thermal management pals that move air over our heat sinks: fans and blowers.

Comair Rotron has produced a very succinct and helpful application note on the concept of forced convection cooling. In summary they cover:

  • Five basic steps when designing for a cooling fan
  • What forced convection cooling is
  • A diagram to show how it works

Comair Rotron’s piece is to the point and well worth a visit to refresh the experienced engineer and introduce those who are new to forced convection cooling in thermal management, have a read here at this link: Introduction Forced Convection Cooling

And before I forget, ATS’s thermal consulting team is ready to help you with PCB optimization for thermal management, best fan choice for your application, and designing an overall thermal management solution, for more information, please visit our Thermal Consulting Services Page or email us via our handy Consulting Application Form