Electronic Heat Transfer

COOLING OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENTS
CONTENTS
• INTRODUCTION
• COOLING LOAD OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
• MANUFACTURING OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
• CONDUCTION COOLING
• AIR COOLING: NATURAL CONVECTION AND RADIATION
• AIR COOLING: FORCED CONVECTION
• LIQUID COOLING
1. INTRODUCTION
• Electronic equipment's are widely used in applications ranging from toys to high
end computing devices.
• Due to miniaturization, heat generated per unit volume is increased dramatically.
• If heat dissipation techniques are not properly designed, the safety and reliability
of equipment's might be jeopardized.
• High thermal stresses in the solder joints of electronic components mounted on

circuit boards resulting from temperature variations are major causes of failure
• Therefore, thermal control has become increasingly important in the design and
operation of electronic equipment.
1. INTRODUCTION
Effect of temperature on failure rate
2. COOLING LOAD OF AN ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT
The first step in the selection and design of a cooling system is determination of
heat dissipation.
The current flow through the resistance is always accompanied by heat generation
(𝑰𝟐 𝐑)
• An equivalent way of determining the cooling load is
to determine the heat dissipated by each component in
the device and then to add them up.
• Once the cooling load has been determined, it is

common practice to inflate this number to leave some
safety margin
3. MANUFACTURING OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENTS
• All electronic chips are made of millions of transistors

• Each transistor has at least 2 p-n junctions.
• These junctions are the main source of heat generation.
• In silicon-based semiconductor devices, the junction temperature is limited to
125°C for safe operation.
• However, lower junction temperatures are desirable for extended life and lower
maintenance costs
THE CHIP CARRIER
• The chip is housed in a chip carrier or substrate made of ceramic, plastic, or glass
in order to protect its delicate circuitry from the detrimental effects of the
environment.
• The chip carrier provides a rugged housing for the safe handling of the chip
during the manufacturing process, as well as the connectors between the chip
and the circuit board.
THE CHIP CARRIER
• The chip is secured in the carrier by bonding it to

the bottom surface. The thermal expansion
coefficient of the plastic is about 20 times that of
silicon.
• Therefore, bonding the silicon chip directly to the
plastic case would result in such large thermal
stresses that the reliability would be seriously
jeopardized.
• To avoid this problem, a lead frame made of a
copper alloy with a thermal expansion coefficient
close to that of silicon is used as the bonding
surface.
THE CHIP CARRIER
• The transfer of heat from the chip to the chip carrier is the first
step in the dissipation of the heat generated on the chip.
• The heat generated on the chip is transferred to the case of the
chip carrier by a combination of conduction, convection, and
radiation.
• First of all, the cavity of the chip carrier is filled with a gas,
which is a poor heat conductor, and the case is often made of
materials that are also poor conductors of heat.
• This results in a relatively large thermal resistance between the
chip and the case, called the junction-to-case resistance, and
thus a large temperature difference.
The chip is hermetically sealed to avoid moisture
CONDUCTION IN CHIP CARRIERS
Heat is then transported outside the electronic device through the leads.
PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS
The power dissipated by a PCB usually ranges from 5 W to about 30 W.
A typical electronic system involves several layers of PCBs. The PCBs are usually cooled by direct
contact with a fluid such as air flowing between the boards.
But when the boards are placed in a hermetically sealed enclosure, they must be cooled by a
cold plate (a heat exchanger) in contact with the edge of the boards.
The device-to-board edge thermal resistance of a PCB is usually high (about 20 to 60°C/W)
because of the small thickness of the board and the low thermal conductivity of the board
material.
In such cases, even a thin layer of copper cladding on one side of the board can decrease the
device-to-board edge thermal resistance in the plane of the board and enhance heat transfer in
that direction drastically.
PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS- CONDUCTION COOLING
Materials used in the fabrication of circuit boards should be:

1. Good heat conductors to conduct away the heat generated.
2. They should also have high material strength to withstand forces and to maintain
dimensional stability.
3. It should have a thermal expansion coefficients that closely match that of copper, to prevent
cracking in the copper cladding during thermal cycling
4. Resistance to moisture absorption, since moisture can affect both mechanical and electrical
properties and degrade performance
5. Stability in properties at temperature levels encountered in electronic applications.
6. Ready availability and manufacturability 7. Low cost.
PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS- CONDUCTION COOLING- HEAT FRAMES
ENCLOSURE
THE ENCLOSURE
• An electronic system is not complete without a rugged enclosure (a case or a cabinet)
that will protect them from the detrimental effects of the environment, and provide a
cooling mechanism.
• In a small electronic system such as a personal computer, the enclosure can simply be
an inexpensive box made of sheet metal with proper connectors and a small fan.
• An enclosure must provide easy access for service personnel so that they can identify
and replace any defective parts easily and quickly
• Electronic circuits are powered by low voltages (usually under 15 V), but the currents
involved may be very high (sometimes a few hundred amperes).
AIR COOLING- NATURAL CONVECTION
• If heat dissipation is less than 5W, natural cooling is preferred.

• Easiest, and cheapest method of cooling
• Natural convection currents depend on buoyancy and friction
• For buoyancy to be high, max temp diff should exist
• To minimize friction, passage should not be constricted
• But a bigger passage is risky in an electronic enclosure
• Always the inlet is from the bottom and outlet is from top
AIR COOLING- NATURAL CONVECTION
Electronic components or PCBs placed in enclosures such as a TV or DVD player are

cooled by natural convection by providing a sufficient number of vents on the case to
enable the cool air to enter and the heated air to leave the case freely
AIR COOLING- FORCED CONVECTION
• When natural cooling is inadequate (Q>5W), forced convection is used.

• This is based on the principle that increase in velocity of the fluid increases the heat
transfer rate.
• The amount of heat absorbed by the moving air is approximated to be equal to the
amount of heat liberated by the electronic components
AIR COOLING- FORCED CONVECTION
When natural convection cooling is not adequate, simply add a fan and blow air
through the enclosure that houses the electronic components.
By doing so, the heat transfer coefficient can be increased by a factor of up to about
10.
FAN SELCTION
• One or several fans can be used to cool any electronic equipment.

• 2 types of fans are available: Constant speed and variable speed.
• Some electronic devices are fixed with internal cut-offs at higher temperature.
• Fans draw contaminants like dust, dirt etc.. into the narrow passages between the
electronic components. This increases the resistance and acts as an insulation
• To avoid this problem, air filters are used.
FAN SELCTION
Where to place the fan? At the inlet or at the exit?
INLET OUTLET
Prevents air infiltration from cracks or No additional heat (heat from fan
other openings motor) is picked up while cooling
electronic equipment
Makes it practical to install one air Problem of installing air filter
filter at the inlet if fan is used at the
inlet
Electronic enclosure will have a clean Contamination of air resulting in dirt
environment build up on components
A fan at inlet handles cooler air and is
hence dense hence higher mass flow
rate for same RPM
Extended life of fan since it handles
cool air always
FAN SELCTION
TYPES OF FANS
• Axial Fans – Low pressure head, simpler design, cheap, high speed, noisy
• Centrifugal fans- High pressure head, Low speed, Costly and bulky
FAN SELCTION
Considerations in fan selection

1. Check if natural cooling is adequate – Reduces complexity, noise, cost, power
consumption, maintainance
2. Select a fan neither too small nor too large
3. If temperature rise of fan motor is acceptable, mount it at the inlet and attach an
air filter.
4. Increase size of exit vents wherever more heat transfer is required.
5. Place critical components near entrance and components that consume lot of
power near the exit
FAN SELCTION
Considerations in fan selection

6. Design the components placement in such a way that resistance to air path is
minimized
7. Avoid unnecessary sharp turns, sudden expansions or contractions.
8. Arrange components such that natural convection helps forced convection
9. When multiple fans are to be used, place it in series if high pressure head is required
(resistance to air flow is high), place in parallel if high mass flow is required.
LIQUID COOLING
• Liquids normally have much higher thermal conductivities than gases, and thus
much higher heat transfer coefficients associated with them. Therefore, liquid
cooling is far more effective than gas cooling.
• Liquid cooling is reserved for applications involving power densities that are too
high for safe dissipation by air cooling.
• The liquids used in the cooling of electronic equipment must meet several
requirements, depending on the specific application.
LIQUID COOLING
Indirect cooling
• In indirect cooling systems, however, there is no direct contact with the
components. The heat generated in this case is first transferred to a medium such as
a cold plate before it is carried away by the liquid.

Electronic Heat Transfer

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COOLING OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENTS

• COOLING LOAD OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

• MANUFACTURING OF ELECTRONIC EQUIPMENT

• AIR COOLING: NATURAL CONVECTION AND RADIATION

• AIR COOLING: FORCED CONVECTION

• Due to miniaturization, heat generated per unit volume is increased dramatically.

• High thermal stresses in the solder joints of electronic components mounted on

• Once the cooling load has been determined, it is

• All electronic chips are made of millions of transistors

• The chip is secured in the carrier by bonding it to

Materials used in the fabrication of circuit boards should be:

• If heat dissipation is less than 5W, natural cooling is preferred.

Electronic components or PCBs placed in enclosures such as a TV or DVD player are

• When natural cooling is inadequate (Q>5W), forced convection is used.

• One or several fans can be used to cool any electronic equipment.

Considerations in fan selection

Considerations in fan selection

7. Avoid unnecessary sharp turns, sudden expansions or contractions.

8. Arrange components such that natural convection helps forced convection

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