Single- and two-phase pumped fluid cold plates for high-power electronics, from simple welded and inlaid-tube designs to complex brazed microchannel plates, optionally combined with oscillating heat pipes for higher performance.
Cold Plates
Single- and two-phase pumped fluid cold plates for high-power electronics, from simple welded and inlaid-tube designs to complex brazed microchannel plates, optionally combined with oscillating heat pipes for higher performance.
Description
A cold plate is a type of pumped fluid heat exchanger designed to remove heat from high-power electronics by providing a direct interface between the heat-generating components and a circulating coolant. ThermAvant Technologies' cold plates improve heat transfer while maintaining structural integrity and are designed for aerospace, defense, and industrial applications where the heat transfer coefficient must be optimized within system constraints. For compact, high-performance needs, ThermAvant uses micromachined channels, brazed and milled to extract maximum heat for a given fluid, flow rate, and pressure drop; for simpler use cases, lower-cost fabrication methods such as welded or inlaid-tube designs are used.
Microchannel pumped fluid loop (PFL) cold plates are typically machined from aluminum 6061 with high-density internal channel patterns for enhanced heat removal, and can be readily combined with oscillating heat pipes (OHPs) in the same monolithic piece of raw material for even higher effective heat transfer coefficients without additional thermal interfaces. ThermAvant's cold plates can incorporate through-holes and threaded features for structural mounting, and can be manufactured with complex external geometries and intricate internal channel routing. Lead times range from as short as 4 weeks for recurring hardware to 4-6 months for custom new builds.
Specifications
| Materials | Al and Al composites (0 to T6 temper, most common); Cu and Cu composites incl. Copper-Molybdenum; stainless steel |
|---|---|
| Working fluids | Deionized water (with corrosion inhibitors and internal channel chem film); EGW; PGW; PAO |
| Heat flux capability | Up to 50 W/cm² (higher when integrated with an oscillating heat pipe) |
| Operating temperature range | Fluid-dependent, from cryogenic to traditional electronics-cooling temperatures to intermediate/high-temperature regimes |
| Shapes and sizes | From less than 1 mm thickness up to 2 m length; customizable widths from < 2 cm to > 1 m; flat or 3D plate with bosses, through or blind holes |
| Platings and coatings | Chemical conversion coating and anodization |
| Typical lead time | As short as 4 weeks for recurring hardware; 4-6 months for custom new builds/first unit delivery |
| Example: simple welded cold plate application | Battery package for high-power-density Li-ion cells; two CNC-machined Al plates welded, machined, dielectrically coated |
| Example: complex brazed cold plate application | Aerospace/defense vehicular power electronics assembly; CNC-machined and vacuum-brazed internal flow paths with multiple fin layers and turbulators |
