Additive Manufactured Impinging Coolant, Low Electromagnetic Interference, and Nonmetallic Heat Spreader: Design and Optimization

Abstract

With the increase of electronic device power density, thermal management and reliability are increasingly critical in the design of power electronic systems. First, increased density challenges the capability of conventional heat sinks to adequately dissipate heat. Second, higher frequency switching in high voltage, high current, wide bandgap power modules is creating intensified electromagnetic interference (EMI) challenges, in which metallic heat removal systems will couple and create damaging current ringing. Furthermore, mobile power systems require lightweight heat removal methods that satisfy the heat loads dissipated during operation. In this effort, we introduce an additive manufacturing (AM) pathway to produce custom heat removal systems using nonmetallic materials, which take advantage of impinging fluid heat transfer to enable efficient thermal management. Herein, we leverage the precision of additive manufacturing techniques in the development of three-dimensional optimized flow channels for achieving enhanced effective convective heat transfer coefficients. The experimental performance of convective heat removal due to liquid impingement is compared with conventional heat sinks, with the requirement of simulating the heat transfer needed by a high voltage inverter. The implementation of nonmetallic materials manufacturing is aimed to reduce electromagnetic interference in a low weight and reduced cost package, making it useful for mobile power electronics.