Flexible heat conductors help ensure effective thermal transfer for conduction cooling

Pentair announced the introduction of flexible heat conductors (FHCs) to help ensure effective thermal transfer for conduction cooling. Developed using heat-dissipating metal, the Schroff FHCs have been filed as patent and are particularly well-suited to small single-board systems and larger systems that cannot be air-cooled with active fans for or perforated ventilation designs. The FHCs also provide the necessary heat dissipation for embedded systems, which must be completely enclosed due to ingress protection requirements unique to the deployment setting. Typically, the heat from the processor is transferred to the case through heat sinks and attached to heat pads with thermal paste. This results in poor heat conductivity values from the pad or thermal paste material and limited height tolerances for processors. The new FHCs from Pentair are made from a flexible aluminium design, with superior heat conductivity properties and spring loaded variable height adjustment. The Flexible Heat Conductor ensures processors will remain in constant contact and height tolerances no longer play a role. The FHC consists of two interlocking sections – one which is in contact with the heat-emitting component (e.g., the processor) and the other is adjusted vertically in relation to the first section. The FHC is comprised of two sections that are spring loaded and maintain consistent contact to the top of the chassis, against the inside of the case top cover. The dissipated heat is reliably transferred away from the source and into the environment through the case surface by means of heat conduction. Additional benefits include better processor performance and higher clock speeds due to effective, direct heat dissipation. The FHCs are available as off-the-shelf products in two sizes in the Schroff portfolio: 25mm x 25mm x 20 ±2mm and 50mm x 50mm x 69 ±2mm(L x W x H). The smaller FHC design dissipates around 15W of heat, while the larger model can dissipate approximately 50W. Larger sizes and heights are available upon request. The heat conductors are either attached to the processors by means of the existing assembly configurations on the PCB or, in the case of smaller processors, the heat conductors are attached to the processor using thin, heat-conducting, double-sided adhesive tape. The new heat conductors have already been integrated into the Schroff Interscale range of cases from Pentair as a standard cooling solution. These cases for non-standardized PCBs include a number of features including easy assembly and versatility with a wide range of standard sizes and variable extension options. They comply with the new IEC 60297-3-109 standard, which Pentair helped to create, and which defines the dimensions and physical features of the chassis and connected PCBs for embedded computing devices. The cases are used in a variety of applications including machine control systems, medical technology, transport, aerospace and telecommunications, says the company.