Flat plate two-phase heat spreader on the thermal management of high-power electronics: a review

Wide bandgap semiconductors such as SiC and GaN are materials that are advantageous for high power electronic devices. High power devices generate large amounts of energy that must be removed, and traditional cooling methods are insufficient for maintaining the desired operating temperatures. Thus, thermal management methods for high power electronic devices need to be developed. A SiC micro-capillary pumped loop thermal management system is being evaluated to cool SiC high power devices. Mathematical models incorporating two-phase flow and capillary wicking have been developed to analyze capillary pumped loops or loop heat pipes. This investigation uses a model based on the methodology of Dickey and Peterson (1994). The model takes an energy balance on the condenser and evaporator regions, as well as a pressure balance across the meniscus. A parametric study has been performed on the micro-CPL to determine the best design for a p-i-n diode that is less than 1 cm square and which produces a heat flux at the junction of over 300 W/cm2. The micro-CPL will be limited to a maximum size of 6.5 cm2. The liquid and vapor line lengths, number of grooves, and groove dimensions are varied to determine optimal values. The results and trends of the optimization calculations are discussed.

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Kinetic Cooling for thermal management of high power electronics

2016 15th IEEE Intersociety Conference on Thermal and Thermomechanical Phenomena in Electronic Systems (ITherm) ◽

10.1109/itherm.2016.7517546 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Lino Gonzalez ◽

Ben Kessel ◽

Jiyue Zhang

Keyword(s):

Power Electronics ◽

Thermal Management ◽

High Power

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Evaluation of Two-Phase Cold Plate for Cooling Electric Vehicle Power Electronics

Volume 11: Nano and Micro Materials, Devices and Systems; Microsystems Integration ◽

10.1115/imece2011-64330 ◽

2011 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Peng Wang ◽

Patrick McCluskey ◽

Avram Bar-Cohen

Keyword(s):

Power Electronics ◽

Electric Vehicle ◽

Thermal Management ◽

High Performance ◽

Single Phase ◽

Low Cost ◽

Critical Issue ◽

System Level ◽

Cold Plate ◽

Two Phase

Rapid increases in the power ratings and continued miniaturization of semiconductor devices have pushed the heat flux of power electronics well beyond the range of conventional thermal management techniques, and thus maintaining the IGBT temperature below a specified limit has become a critical issue for thermal management of electric vehicle power electronics. Although two-phase cold plates have been identified as a very promising high flux cooling solution, they have received little attention for cooling of power electronics. In this work, a first-order analytical model and a system-level thermal simulation are used to compare single-phase and two-phase cold plate cooling for Toyota Prius motor inverter, consisting of 12 pairs of IGBT’s and diodes. Our results demonstrate that with the same cold plate geometry, R134a two-phase cooling can substantially reduce the maximum IGBT temperature, operate all the IGBT’s at very uniform temperatures, and lower the pumping power and flow rate in comparison to single-phase cold plate cooling. These results suggest that two-phase cold plate can be developed as a low-cost, small-volume, and high-performance cooling solution to improve system reliability and conversion efficiency for electric vehicle power electronics.

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A Novel Package-integrated Cyclone Cooler for the Thermal Management of Power Electronics

Journal of Electronic Packaging ◽

10.1115/1.4052071 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Rinaldo Miorini ◽

Darin J Sharar ◽

Arun V. Gowda ◽

Cathleen Hoel ◽

Bryan Whalen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Heat Transfer ◽

Power Electronics ◽

Power Density ◽

High Power ◽

Two Phase Flow ◽

Junction Temperature ◽

Phase Flow ◽

Two Phase ◽

Temperature Reduction ◽

The Impact

Abstract In order for electronics packaging power density to increase, innovations and improvements in heat transfer are required. Electrification of transportation has the potential for significant fuel and energy savings. Changing to an electrified drive train requires reliable and efficient power electronics to provide power conversion between AC motors and DC energy storage. For high power transportation systems like aircraft or heavy vehicles, the power density of these power electronics needs to be improved. Power density is also an enabler for high power military devices that must be used and transported via air, ground, and sea. This paper summarizes the outcome of a collaborative and multi-disciplinary research effort aimed at co-designing novel electronics cooling device that utilizes two-phase fluid flow. Two-phase flow cooling has been known for decades as well as the risks associated with it: critical heat flux, dry-out and thermal runaway. Our research de-risks the two-phase cooling phenomenon by swirling the flow to remove the bubbles from the wall and confining them at the core of the cooler. The combined effects of gas phase removal, enhanced nucleation and dramatic liquid film agitation and rupture have been quantified by our experiments: double the heat transfer coefficient with only 13% increase in pressure drop. Besides advanced fluid-dynamics, our Package Integrated Cyclone Cooler (PICCO) utilizes cutting edge packaging and additive manufacturing technology such as direct deposition of a metal substrate and circuits (dies) on a complex helical cooler that can only be manufactured via 3D printing. By co-designing and testing the cooler we have quantified the impact of the swirled flow on the junction temperature with respect to a conventional (non-swirl) two-phase-flow-cooled power electronics package. At steady state, our post-test thermal simulations predict a junction temperature reduction from 185°C to 75°C at the same power dissipation. When the heat load is unsteady (EPA Urban Drive Cycle), the junction temperature reduction is 140°C to 60°C.

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