Heat Sink Design Basics

Heat sink design basics are all about selecting the right geometry for a heat sink to affix to high power components which then needs to be paired with other cooling strategies.

Heat sink design basics.

Solving the thermal equation given in the figure gives t 1 p d θ t 2. Ats engineers used analytical modeling and cfd simulations to examine the thermal performance of two aluminum heat sink designs. Heat sinks are used on a broad range of electronics ranging from cpus to motor drivers. Heat sink design basics for your pcb.

A heat sink also commonly spelled heatsink is a passive heat exchanger that transfers the heat generated by an electronic or a mechanical device to a fluid medium often air or a liquid coolant where it is dissipated away from the device thereby allowing regulation of the device s temperature. In this article we ll walk you through the basics of heat sinks and heat sink design including the calculations involved in defining the proper heat sink for your application. There are many off the shelf options for heat sinks all with slightly different form factors masses and materials. A heat sink is a device that spreads heat from a small heat source to extended surfaces and thus improves the heat dissipation convection to the surroundings air water etc.

Analysis demonstrated that the design with heat pipes running above the components kept junction temperatures within 2 c of the original. One with heat pipes that stopped at the edge of the components and the other with heat pipes that ran above the components.