Articles from February 2009 Issue

A Simple Method to Estimate Boiling Heat Sink Performance

February 1st, 2009

Introduction As most readers of ElectronicsCooling magazine are no doubt aware, fins may be added to a heat transfer surface to increase the effective heat transfer area and thereby reduce the base surface temperature for…read more

Advanced Aerodynamics for Electronics Cooling Fans

February 1st, 2009

Introduction The performance of electronics cooling fans has been steadily increasing as flow requirements chase higher thermal loading. These advances have been primarily achieved through mechanical and architecture changes. However, the aerodynamic sophistication of these…read more

Antifreeze Coolants

February 1st, 2009

Removing waste heat from electronic assemblies using a circulating liquid coolant is a common and effective method with a long and successful history, especially in avionics and data center applications. The choice of coolant depends…read more

Cooling Electronics with Nanofluids: Laminar Convective Heat Transfer

February 1st, 2009

Introduction Numerous reports over the past ten years or so have described the potential for nanofluids (suspensions of nanoparticles in liquids) to be applied as heat transfer fluids, because of the enhanced thermal conductivity and…read more

Mini- and Microchannels in Thermal Interfaces: Spatial, Temporal, Material, and Practical Significance

February 1st, 2009

Introduction The role of thermal interface materials (TIM) to augment heat flow in electronics has been well-documented [1-4]: Higher thermal conductivity (k) and thinner bondlines proportionally reduce the interface thermal resistance (RTH). Today’s high-performance TIMs…read more

The Audacity of Engineering

February 1st, 2009

At the time of this writing (mid-November), it appears that significant progress has been made toward avoiding a global financial collapse and that we now have a good chance of avoiding that fate. Unfortunately, it…read more

When Moore Is Less: Exploring the 3rd Dimension in IC Packaging

February 1st, 2009

Introduction As consumers of electronics we have become spoiled. We not only expect our electronic devices to get smaller, faster, more functional, cheaper, more interconnected, and more reliable, we actually demand it. It would not…read more