Thermal and Mechanical Considerations (A Vicor Power Techtorial)
by Marco Panizza, European Applications Manager, Vicor , Vendor website, Jan 01 2009
Focus:
Video introduces the basic concepts of power supply efficiency, power/thermal dissipation, and thermal resistance as they relate to the use of dc-dc converter modules, and explains how these parameters are used to select an appropriate heat sink for a dc-dc converter module. (Although focused on dc-dc converter modules, the discussion is relevant to all power supply applications.) The presenter describes how to calculate the thermal (power) dissipation and temperature rise of a dc-dc converter module from the converter's efficiency, which in turn is determined from the operating point of the converter. Once power dissipation and temperature rise are known, this information may be used to select an appropriate heatsink for the module. Following that discussion, the presenter demonstrates how to characterize the thermal performance of a dc-dc converter experimentally. He shows how to collect voltage and current data to calculate input power and output power, and then determine efficiency and power dissipation of the module. He then measures the ambient temperature and temperature rise of the module, explaining how this data may be used together with power dissipation to determine the thermal resistance of the module.
What you’ll learn:
- How to determine the power dissipation and temperature rise of a dc-dc converter on-the bench
- How to calculate the efficiency and thermal resistance of a dc-dc converter module based on bench measurements
- One of Vicor's video tutorials.
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