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Thermal management challenges facing aerospace engineers in 2021 By Tom Gregory, Product Manager, Future Facilities


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lectronics faults almost always result in production delays, product recalls or reliability issues, which in the


aerospace industry in particular can be catastrophic. To avoid critical consequences, it’s very important that aerospace engineers ensure that their products are reliable, durable and safe. Sadly, when it comes to thermal


management, this is easier said than done. From being exposed to the harshest environments, to enduring large and sudden changes in pressure and airflow, aerospace electronics must be built to survive large variety of conditions. Tis makes the process of thermal analysis – estimating how temperature changes and heat flow will impact a device’s reliability – very complicated. A panel of thermal management


experts from the world’s leading aerospace and electronics names recently identified the top three challenges facing this industry this year:


Higher power density Tere’s a need for ever more functionality to be embedded


into compact, more highly engineered solutions. Where once engineers could easily fit all the necessary functionalities into a small chip that only dissipates around 40W, the same system today must dissipate upwards of 100W – nearly three times more. In addition, components are getting


smaller, yet with greater power density, running a higher risk of thermal complications. To prevent overheating, liquid


cooling and cold plates are two of the best solutions currently available to aerospace engineers.


04 May 2021 www.electronicsworld.co.uk 3


From being exposed to the harshest environments, to enduring large and sudden changes in pressure and airflow, aerospace electronics must be built to survive a large variety of conditions


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Exposure to extreme environments Electrical components for the


aerospace industry are exposed to the most extreme temperatures imaginable – from exceptionally hot, sand-based locations to the coldest corners of the world. Tey are also subject to extreme vibration, with take-off and landing putting a heavy mechanical burden on equipment and its internal electronics. At the same time, more commercial and industrial components are now being used in the aerospace industry, not many of them rated for these specific environments. As engineers move away from extreme-


specification designs, and the use of commercial components becomes more common, this problem is going to get worse. To overcome it and ensure design reliability, aerospace engineers are relying on ever more advanced thermal simulation soſtware, running components through numerous parametric variations in a large variety of different environments.


3D printing for prototyping and production Aerospace engineers are


increasingly turning to 3D printing early in the design process, as a faster, more flexible and agile way to create prototypes. Tey are oſten used to test whether a device will fit into and successfully work within the environment it’ll be exposed to. Due to its conservative nature, the


aerospace industry is not yet using 3D printing for end products. However, experts believe that eventually developments in 3D printing will ensure that engineers will be able to print materials for volume use in real-life scenarios – helping to design smaller and more complex components to plug the gaps. For example, when it comes to thermal management, traditional microchannel heat sinks leave non- uniform channels in the cold plate. But, by using 3D printing, engineers can create a more uniform surface finish and be more precise about channel sizes.


Using thermal simulation Te thermal design of aerospace electronics is under much more pressure than any other industry. Tere is simply no way to shortcut the process if designers are to complete projects efficiently, accurately and safely, which means they need the right tools for the job.


Trough accurate thermal simulation, aerospace engineers are empowered with a visual representation of the temperature and airflow inside equipment. Using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) soſtware for electronics, engineers can create accurate simulations of their designs, enabling them to make decisions that avoid overheating, and selecting efficient cooling systems without sacrificing performance or increasing the size of the final products.


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