Multiscale thermal management of electronic components and enclosures

Electronic components are today found in nearly every advanced engineering system. Thermal management ofthese electronics is becoming one of the most challenging issues in advanced systems engineering and animportant subject in regard to overall systems performance. To complicate matter, these electronic systemsvary in size from the millimeter for transistor packages to the ten of meter for independent, integratedelectronics shelters. As a result of the multitude of scales, no "one size fits all" solution can be applied to solvethis important issue; independent, system specific solutions must be researched and engineered.The objective of this four year research program is to develop thermal management solutions at various scalesof electronic systems used by the industrial partner, and develop associated systems required for this thermalmanagement, i.e., liquid cooling systems and pumps. The research will be performed at the applicant's Lab ofApplied Multiphase Thermal Engineering (LAMTE) at Dalhousie University. Five high priority researchprojects were selected: i. Ruggedized Tesla Pump for Liquid Cooling in Adverse Conditions; ii. GalliumNitride (GaN) Transistor Cooling Improvement Strategies; iii. Innovative Liquid Cooling Method of EnclosedElectronic Power Systems; iv. Thermal and Energy Management of Large Scale Electronic Shelters; v. Effectsof Contact Surface Characteristics on Thermal Interface Materials (TIMs) Performance. In order to perform theresearch associated with these projects, and provide innovative solutions for the related thermal managementissues, a combination of experimental, numerical and analytical work will be needed and performed.This proposed research will benefit both the industrial partner and the Canadian electronics industry byproviding critical knowledge, methods and designs for increase thermal management of power electronics atvarious scale.