5 Techniques to Cooling the DC DC and AC DC Power Converters

Electronics are not 100 percent efficient as all these generate heat. Each unit must have a way to dissolve heat in order to maximize reliability and prevent damage. It is simply referred to as cooling and this is done via thermal management. Through the use of various cooling methods, there are several ways to minimize losses in power supplies. Reliability and efficiency are partly the results of a power supply unit’s designed cooling method.

Here, we are providing an overview that investigates into the most common techniques of transferring cooling for AC DC and DC DC power supplies.

• Heat sink:

Heat sinks transfer heat via cooler component of the rugged DC DC converter. These are the type of conduction cooling. Heat sinks exist in two primary forms technically. A heat sink allows for a quick transfer of heat due to forced air cooling. This option is for medium-large applications.

• Cold plate:

A wide metal cover is used to convey heat away from a component. Cold plates are a kind of transmission cooling technique. In many cases, cold plates are an effective solution where space is a concern. However, the applications overall design must allow the heat to escape from the cold plate.

• Liquid:

Liquid cooling refers to a special cold plate running with cool liquid. This can be water, but in our applications, it is usually 50 percent glycol mix and 50 percent water. With liquid cooling, the base plate is kept at a steady temperature so the transfer is most efficient. It is a great solution for tight spaces where heat sinks and fans are not options. And, it boosts the function of AC DC power converters. It provides protection against the overheating and short circuits.

Liquid cooling is commonly used in aircraft. It is used because of weight and size limitations. Ground vehicles also rely on liquid cooling. It is for power supply electric vehicles. Although liquid is cooling is more efficient. There are downfalls in complexity and price. More engineering times and materials will be required to integrate liquid into a power supply design.

• Natural airflow:

Technically cooling air flow transfers heat from a power device. This is simply by surrounding the unit with cooler air. If the component is enclosed, air vents might require to be incorporated. Natural airflow is often the least expensive management option. However, power supplies which rely on natural airflow for cooling are severally limited in the safe temperature operating range. For heavy duty applications such as industrial and aircraft and other high energy devices, natural airflow is not an option to cool the power supplies. The authorities of heavy industry are therefore looking for rugged DC DC converter that has exceptional cooling components, such as forced air.

• Forced air:

Forced air is an upgraded version of the natural air flow resolution. In this technique, one or more fans are built into the unit itself or specified elsewhere in the application as per the requirement to cool the power supply. One consideration when using forced air cooling is that fans also add to the inefficiency of a unit. As a side note, fans may reduce the amount of internal dust and contribute to the overall longevity and effectiveness of a power supply.

Which cooling technique is best for your applications?

Each cooling technique provides a solution for various power supplies. Generally, the cooling system will be particular by client’s requirements. In a lot of applications, a combination of some cooling techniques may be used. For improved energy efficiency, engineers make improvements in cooling power supplies. The improvement of the cooling system is slow. A number of factors go into deciding which cooling technique your power supply design requires. It is best to consult with the engineers to understand which cooling system will be more efficient for your power converter.

Bottom Line:

In conclusion, the various cooling components are varying to reduce heat on the basis of output current. Several faults can be avoided to provide the proper operation of the power supply product.