Low cost integrated thermal management structures for high power electronics

"In this Phase I SBIR program, a team consisting of Advanced Ceramics Research Inc. (ACR) and the University of Arizona (UA) propose to develop a novel, low-cost, integrated micro-channeled heat exchanger system for high power electronic applications suchas that for space, high-speed missiles, and other weapon systems. The increased power density for these applications result in demanding conditions such as CTE mismatch and the need for increased thermal dissipation. In radar and other applicationsinvolving power electronics, thermal dissipation from the electronics approach levels as high as 500 W/cm2. ACR's Extrusion Free Forming approach will permit the fabrication of geometrically complex, three-dimensional structures directly from CAD designs.ACR will partner with UA to evaluate the effectiveness of these novel heat exchange structures for thermal management of high-power electronic modules. The components will be tested in single-phase and two-phase (boiling) flow in the UA Heat TransferLaboratory to assess the overall heat transfer coefficient of several different geometries of heat exchangers that can be used in both passive and actively pumped cooling systems. Improved cooling techniques are required for reliable electronics withcurrent trends toward increased packaging densities and higher power levels for applications such as aircraft avionics, electric power systems, radar and weapon systems."