Page 15 - PEN Ebook May 2021

THERMAL MANAGEMENT Thermal Management

sity in electronic devices has

increased significantly. The
tendency to reduce the size of
the devices has increased ther-
mal problems within electronic
circuits. Therefore, temperature
management in power devices
remains an extremely critical
factor.

Several interfaces between
Figure 1: Thermal Management Material and Device Market (Source: Market and
Markets Research)) high-power components gen-
erate heat and the heat sinks
architecture designed, Drako GTE is an EV platform themselves. Thermal management issues can
that highlights the difficulties of thermal manage- arise from the minimal contact areas that are
ment and thus the importance of new solutions created between the two surfaces (interface) due
that can improve performance. to micro-scale surface roughness. This reduc-

es heat conduction across the interface since
air voids have low thermal conductivity. Surface
THERMAL MANAGEMENT
Thermal Management We're seeing changes in the world of power irregularity is the main cause of thermal con-
tact resistance. "The goal of Kulr's solutions is to

Interfaces from Mars electronics with the automotive industry moving increase the contact between the two surfaces
towards vehicle electrification and the advent of
and thus decrease the thermal resistance of the
interface," said Michael Mo.
5G communications technologies that will ac-
Perseverance to EV celerate the growth of cloud computing. These The temperature changes the reliability and
applications require more power and thermal

management solutions or cooling technologies durability of the electrical and electronic compo-
By Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio, Editor-in-Chief of Power Electronics News and EEWeb for batteries and other powertrain systems. nents. A device malfunction is very often caused

by a thermal problem. High temperatures not
Batteries can overheat when pushed to their lim- a serious public safety concern for electronics When passing through the conductors and sem- only make the system work unstable but also
its. The lack of space and sufficient ventilation and battery manufacturers, creating a surge in iconductors electrons produce a lot of heat reduce the average life of the components, thus
area in electric vehicles is directing the design demand for improved battery safety technologies and negatively affect the final performance of leading to their deterioration.
of thermal management towards new solutions, and thermal management solutions (figure 1). the circuit. In recent decades, the power den-

so that the batteries do not overheat and cause
extreme damage to the entire system. Kulr Tech- In an interview with Power Electronics News, Mi-
nology Group is developing, manufacturing, and chael Mo, Chief Executive Officer at Kulr Technology
licensing carbon fiber thermal technologies for Group, highlighted how the company’s carbon-fib-
batteries and other electronic devices to keep er technology designed with NASA to regulate the
them cool. extreme temperatures of sensitive components in
space for the Persevarance mission, will be em-
Lithium battery fire incidents involving hover- ployed by Drako Motors for a new ultra high perfor-
boards, smartphones, and electric vehicles are mance electric supercar. With a 1,200-horsepower

14 MAY 2021 | www.powerelectronicsnews.com MAY 2021 | www.powerelectronicsnews.com 15