Forced air cooled heat sink with uniformly distributed temperature of power electronic modules

Temperature Gradient Improvement of Power Semiconductor Modules Cooled Using Forced Air Heat Sink

“…If the temperature of power semiconductors A, B, and C are the same (T A = T B = T C ) then the power flows between the heat sink sections are neglected (P R12 = P R23 = ∞). Therefore, ( 9) is rearranged to obtain the formula as follows: (10) Substituting ( 1) into ( 10): (11) and ( 2) into (11) (12) Hence, (13) If the thermal resistor R T3 is considered as the base resistor representing 100% then the other thermal resistors R T1 and R T2 can be calculated in respect to R T3 as follows:…”

“…Fig. 9b shows the temperature distribution of the heat sink where the thermal resistances in sections A and B have been degraded (increased) using the reduction of the airspeed through the fin area as proposed in [12]. Though the absolute temperature of the power semiconductor modules A and B are increased, the temperature gradient is improved in comparison to the conventional heat sink configuration (Fig.…”

“…This method does not require hardware modification but demonstrates reduced operational efficiency and increases the total amount of power loss. Another approach is related to the application of the variable thermal resistance alongside the heat sink [11], [12]. This method requires modification of the heat sink to ensure the uniform temperature of the power electronic modules due to the nonuniform thermal resistance distribution.…”

A Test Rig for Thermal Analysis of Heat Sinks for Power Electronic Applications

“…To generate the best possible cooling, a fan is also used. Depending on the type of mounting, this fan generates an air flow through the cooling fins, resulting in a temperature difference over the length of the heat sink [10].…”

“…The goal in developing a system that includes power components is therefore to keep the temperature gradient of the components as evenly distributed as possible. This can be done by mechanically modifying the heat sink [10]- [12] or by so-called active thermal control [13], [14]. The latter requires the use of sensors and control technology to measure the temperature of the semiconductor component and to regulate the control of the fan as well as the control of the component.…”