Thermal Management Cooling Days: Electronics Cooling and Thermal Management – Fundamentals and Best Practices

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Wuxi InfiMotion Technology Co., Ltd.

On 17 and 18 October 2023, it's time again in Würzburg: Concentrated knowledge of thermal management for electronics. In addition to basics, the second day of the congress offers exciting insights into electronic cooling.

On the first day of the congress, which is designated as a foundational day, Prof. Griesinger from the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University and Tobias Best from Alpha Numercis will introduce participants to important fundamentals of electronics cooling, as well as the principles of thermal management and thermal simulation for electronics. This established format provides a wealth of expertise in electronics cooling for both experts and newcomers and has proven to be very successful in previous years.

On the second day of the congress, on October 18th, our industry experts will provide practical insights. One of the confirmed speakers for the simulation topic is Tobias Best, who will present "Interfaces to CFD Temperature Simulation." His presentation will focus on 3D CFD simulation and the advantages it offers in development. "Especially in electronics development, 3D CFD simulation is used at various stages from the concept phase to the realistic prototype," says Tobias Best. In his talk, he will shed light on three development stages that incorporate a variety of interfaces and object details into the simulation model, bringing it closer to reality. "However, one will be surprised by how a few details can generate enough results to make informed decisions for the further development path," he hints in his presentation.

Hybrid heat sinks made of copper and aluminum

"Copper and aluminum have always been the leading materials for thermal and electrical conductivity. 'In my presentation, I will introduce the technology for producing hybrid heat sinks made of aluminum and copper,'" revealed Michael Dasch from Impact Innovations.

With the Cold Spray technique, both coatings and 3D prints of heat sinks and busbars made of copper and aluminum can be produced. Hybrid heat sinks improve thermal conductivity and processing compared to pure aluminum heat sinks significantly and are also much cheaper to manufacture than pure copper heat sinks.

Avoiding temperature problems strategically

Temperature problems can often be avoided in the early design phase of electronic devices. During the circuit design phase, Spice simulations help calculate temperatures in the power electronics chips both in continuous operation and in pulsed operation. "The right selection of electronic components, taking into account heating and expected ambient temperatures, is important for them to operate safely. Intelligent cooling concepts are necessary and should be developed already in the design phase," says Dirk Linnenbrügger from FlowCAD.

In this context, the layout of the printed circuit board needs to be considered. A high voltage drop can contribute to the heating of the circuit board. By taking appropriate measures, such hot spots can be identified and eliminated early on. Optimized routing of the traces helps to minimize heat build-up and enables effective heat dissipation. Thermally based guidelines further assist the PCB designer in maintaining component spacings to avoid heating from the outset.

Participants in my presentation will learn something about how thermal problems can be avoided systematically and how a consistent thermal concept from component selection to assembled assembly supports heat dissipation. Each development step can be virtually accompanied, so that costly mistakes can be avoided," concludes Linnenbrügger.

High power density, small footprint

Stephan Bachmann of Sepa Europe addresses the issue of limited space with high power density. In his presentation, he focuses on the design of high-performance devices. "Many developers must consider a wide range of ambient temperatures. It is important for developers to rely on thermal simulation in the early stages of development," says Stephan Bachmann of Sepa Europe.

In his presentation, he discusses the prototype test with production-like cooling concepts. At the same time, the construction focuses on minimal noise emission.

The Cooling Days 2023 are part of six specialized conferences focusing on power electronics and power supplies. These conferences serve not only as a platform for exchanging expertise but also for networking.

The detailed program of the Cooling Days 2023 can be found at the following link: (https://www.power-of-electronics.de/programm-cooling-days)

The Cooling Days and six other specialized conferences can be found at [Power of Electronics](https://www.power-of-electronics.de/).