Updated Design Guide for Heat Sinks for High Power Applications Available

Our Latest Design Guide

Mersen continues to provide informative resources for the power electronics industry, enabling our customers to better understand the thermal management solutions available to them and optimize the performance of their power conversion equipment. We are happy to introduce our latest design guide for Heat Sinks for High Power Applications, ensuring that our customers have access to the most accurate and useful information to make informed decisions about selecting thermal management solutions that best meet their needs.

Here’s a quick breakdown of what you can expect to discover in our newest heat sink design guide.

What Information Is Included in Our Heat Sink for High Power Application Design Guide?

1. Importance of thermal management

Most standard and high-performance electronic components cannot withstand extreme heat. Excessive and continuous exposure to high temperatures can cause malfunctions and failures in electronic components, as well as decrease their lifespan. Ensuring that you take proper thermal management into account is essential when designing electronics that last.

Heat sinks are a common option to keep your electronic components within a safe temperature range, allowing them to operate optimally. Heat sinks work by utilizing metals with high thermal conductivity to disperse heat and draw it away from delicate circuitry. Heat sinks can be cooled by regular airflow or liquids to more efficiently cool the system.

Heat sinks are an essential component of standard thermal management systems and are important to incorporate into an electronics’ design phase early on to mitigate operational problems later.

2. Understanding Modes of Heat Transfer

Heat sinks leverage conduction and convection to transfer heat and protect electronics from damage. In developing a thermal management system, engineers need to consider the impact of both natural and forced convection on the technology.

Natural convection occurs without intervention of fans or other devices. To leverage natural convection, heat sources should be placed toward the top of an electronics enclosure with sensitive components being toward the bottom.

Forced convection utilizes fans, pumps, or other external sources of airflow to control temperatures. Forced convection is commonly used in applications that deal with higher heat or in enclosures without sufficient space for natural convection.

3. Factors that Impact Heat Sink Performance

Several heat sink design features influence performance including:

• Patterns Of Airflow in the System
• Air Velocity
• Fin Design
• Construction Material
• Surface Treatments such as Anodization

When designing and placing a heat sink, it is essential to consider how these variables work together to dissipate heat. Heat sinks are commonly made from thermally conductive metals like aluminum or copper. Understanding your electronic’s application will directly impact the proper material choice of the heat sink to offer the best heat protection.

4. Heat Sink Types & Options

Heat sinks are available in a range of varieties and styles to accommodate your specific application needs including:

• Air Cooled Heat Sinks
  • Extrusion Heat Sinks
  • Bonded Fin Heat Sinks
  • Pressed (Swagged) Fin Heat Sinks
  • Soldered Fin Heat Sinks
• Heat Pipes
• Liquid Cooled Heat Sinks

Choosing the correct heat sink design depends on several factors like the heat level produced, project budget, and the density of the technology enclosure.

5. Mersen’s Thermal Management Solutions

Thermal management should be part of your initial design and development process. Our engineering team has the experience to work with you to understand your project goals to design an ideal thermal management solution for your electronic application. We have experience working with customers in various industries from military and aerospace, to medical, industrial, and transportation to develop effective thermal management systems to protect essential electronic components and technology when it matters most.