What Is Heat Pipe Cooling and How Does It Work?

The heat is a problem with high-power electronics that only grows. The increasing power density of batteries systems and industrial components is outpacing simple cooling solutions. The speed at which heat can be transported by air is too slow for many of these applications.

That's where liquid cooling comes in, and in particular, where a Custom Liquid Cold Plate comes into consideration. A custom designed cold plate is engineered to your products actual power load, layout and space requirements as opposed to any generic cooling parts that can be off a shelf. Businesses have experienced these kinds of applications for years, and companies such as PT Heatsink have designed thermal solutions that help businesses to avoid the performance deficits of generic parts. Why it's so important to use custom design when it matters.

Why Standard Cold Plates Often Fall Short

Cold plates can be bought off the shelf and will fit a fairly large number of applications fairly well. The challenge is that “reasonably well” is not good enough for high power electronics.

Each device comes with its own heat map. There are certain zones in which some components run hotter. There are some layouts that have special mounting requirements. Multiple heat sources over an irregular surface is a situation that some systems must deal with. Of course, a generic cold plate wasn't designed with anything in mind, and engineers are forced to make a compromise in performance to fit a standard part.

That can result in hot spots, decreased efficiency, and parts operating in closer proximity to their thermal limits than they would like to be. In a high power system that margin of error is often very slim.

What Makes a Custom Cold Plate Different

Channel Design Built Around Real Heat Loads

The key word for a custom cold plate is actual thermal data from your application. Engineers draw out areas of heat accumulation, and plan for internal passages to rectify those areas. This could lead to more concentrated channel patterns around hot spots, and more straightforward channels elsewhere, which a general plate could never predict.

This type of customisation improves heat transfer efficiency as opposed to the one-size fits all design.

Precise Fit for Space-Constrained Designs

In many high-power electronics, it is necessary to keep the parts in an enclosed space. A custom cold plate can be formed around unusual footprints, can be designed to fit seamlessly with mounting hardware, and won't require additional space that a rectangular cold plate would.

In sectors such as electric vehicles, telecom infrastructure, and data centers, where space is critical, this precision is even more vital for a system's design.

Better Integration With the Full Cooling Loop

A cold plate always works with a hot plate. It is part of a larger liquid cooling loop that uses pumps, tubing and radiators. Custom designs enable engineers to optimize the flow rate and pressure drop of that loop in particular, instead of making other changes to the system to fit a generic component.

In some sophisticated applications, a custom vapor chamber is even incorporated in the cold plate to ensure a more uniform heat distribution prior to entering into the liquid loop. This is especially useful for parts that have localized hot spots which may be difficult to handle with a cold plate. When both technologies are combined, the heat is transferred first through the heat conduction and then by the liquid flow, which is noticeable in demanding systems to enhance the overall thermal performance.

Material and Manufacturing Precision

Typically constructed of copper, aluminum or a combination of materials depending on the weight, cost and thermal performance needed, custom cold plates are generally produced to suit the specific needs of the application. Precision is as important as material selection in manufacturing. Even the most perfect design on paper can be jeopardized by poor surface flatness or by varying dimensions in the channel.

Common Mistakes When Skipping Customization

• Attaching a generic cold plate to an inappropriate design

• This is disregarding the heat imbalance over the surface of the component.

• Avoids setting aside for pressure drop until after prototyping is finished

• Not testing under actual operating conditions, rather than laboratory conditions.

• Not integrating the cooling loop with other systems (building, site, etc.)

These errors tend to manifest themselves in later stages of development, making it much more costly to correct them.

When Custom Design Is Worth the Investment

A fully custom cold plate is not required for all applications. Typically lower power devices with even heat distribution will deliver satisfactory performance by using standard components. However, when power density increases or heat sources aren't distributed uniformly, custom design usually proves to be cost-effective in terms of reliability and performance.

This investment is often worthwhile, such as in high-power computing, EV battery systems, industrial lasers, and advanced telecom hardware.

Conclusion

Cooling solutions for high power electronics must meet their true cooling requirement, rather than just an approximation. In systems where failure is not an option, a custom Liquid Cold Plate or often a custom Vapor Chamber to aid with spreading heat, can make a huge difference in reliability and performance.

If the next job you have involves some serious thermal challenges, consider what PT Heatsink may have to offer. Contact their team today and obtain a cooling answer tailored specifically to the true needs of your system.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do I know if my project needs a custom cold plate instead of a standard one?

When heat distribution is not uniform, space limitations are tight, or power ratings are exceeded beyond those of standard components, it's almost always a significant improvement to have custom design.

2. Can a vapor chamber and a cold plate work together in the same system?

Yes. A vapor chamber and a liquid cold plate can be combined to distribute the heat across the first, and then transport it via the flowing liquid, particularly for components with localized hot spots.

3. Does customization significantly increase manufacturing time? 

It can delay the initial product development by a few days because it is designed and tested, but this investment can avoid the problem of redesigning and performance issues during the production stage.