One of the biggest current trends in power electronics is increased performance and product size reduction, posing new challenges for the existing high-power thermal management solutions. The “rule of thumb” warns that a 10-degree Celsius over the component temperature limit will reduce the component’s lifetime in half. The challenge will become even more significant as the trend increases power while shrinking the sizes of components or enclosures. For example, when the power in high-power devices doubles, the packaging is reduced by one-fourth. This results in a situation where power density can increase up to eightfold, which is a bottleneck for most existing cooling solutions.
CooliBlade’s NEOcore technology is a next-generation thermal management solution that delivers more effective cooling performance. NEOcore technology allows product designers to customize the cooling solution for their products, increasing the viability of power electronics designs even in the most demanding applications. CooliBlade’s newly launched COMET series is a unique and powerful Thermal Channel technology that elevates thermal management solutions to new heights.
Here we have listed the TOP5 reasons to choose NEOcore technology as the cooling solution for your power electronic device.
Performance
Performance is often the most crucial consideration when selecting a thermal management solution for a power electronics device. Typically, the total thermal power budget limits electronics products’ usage, performance, and lifetime. You can optimize the total thermal power budget from the heat source to the air using NEOcore technology. The heat source can be placed close to the NEOcore thermal channel, which conducts heat at a thermal conductivity of 200’000 W/mK into fins where the volume is the limiting factor. NEOcore allows you to maximize the volume of fins by increasing the module height from 100 mm to hundreds of mm.
Size and Weight
Size and weight are critical considerations when designing power electronics devices. The size of heat sinks tends to increase as electrical and thermal powers increase. When the trend is towards smaller product sizes, pure aluminum heat sinks become too heavy to be used in demanding applications. Thanks to the superior performance of NEOcore technology, the NEOcore thermal channels can offer a weight reduction of up to 50% compared to standard aluminum heat sinks. It is always critical to consider the weight of the heat sink element. Still, it is vital in many applications where electronics are installed in high masts, such as stadium lights and 5G base stations.
Design Freedom
NEOcore technology provides product designers with new design freedom in their creative work. Existing elements are often quite bulky, and their orientation significantly impacts their cooling efficiency. NEOcore technology allows for greater freedom in designing high-power electronics products by providing compact size, modularity, and ease of mounting to new products. NEOcore products’ performance can be adjusted by increasing the number of modular units and decreasing their length. Because of the modular and adaptable structure, more airspace inside the enclosure can be used.
The COMET Evaluation Kit allows you to test the cooling solution and determine the best way to cool your component or device. COMET can be assembled in various ways, from horizontal to vertical and all angles in between.
Cost-efficiency
The cost-efficiency of the thermal solutions is also an important consideration. The initial cost of typically molded heat sinks is a major stumbling block in many new cooling concepts, at least when the entire product is on the designers’ table. NEOcore combines these all-too-important benefits in a single structure. Cool-It-Yourself Standard Evaluation Kit has a low starting cost and allows you to test the performance quickly. The Evaluation Kit is also an option for those who want to create their cooling element in minutes. These features make them very appealing and would significantly reduce the design costs in the development project.
Furthermore, heat pipe solutions are typically customized, necessitating several rounds of optimization to achieve the best performance. If the production quantity is low, the prices of heat pipes per unit could be high. In contrast, NEOcore products, such as COMET, are designed to be mass-produced, and aluminum price reductions will be reflected in end-product prices.
Longer lifespan
High-power semiconductor components and systems are relatively expensive. The maintenance and replacement of broken devices are costs that should be factored in when designing new products. Unfortunately, the thermal power budgets of electronics products can be dominated by the ambient temperature, which is very rare in the hands of product owners.
As you may be aware, a 10-degree Celsius drop in temperature equals a twofold increase in product lifespan. Many existing and next-generation products should be driven with lower power to ensure that they operate safely. Tests have shown that NEOcore cooling technology can achieve up to 400% longer lifespan of high-power COB LED lights than traditional heat sink cooling. This lifespan expansion can be easily monetized when the highest power and most extended lifespan are secured.
If you like to get hands-on experience with NEOcore technology, please send us the request about our COMET series Evaluation Kit.
