REVIEW AND DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRONIC COOLING TECHNOLOGY AND APPLICATION GUIDE¹

The cooling load required to cool power electronics in modern combat vehicles is continuously increasing due to the rise of power consumption and the high thermal load of current theaters of operation. Advances in semiconductor technology have led to increased power dissipation from electronic chips while reducing their size. This has resulted in increased demand to remove the heat from these chips in order to prevent them from overheating leading to failure. In many circumstances, electronics cooling is provided through enhanced ventilation or air-handling units of the vehicle interior. However, the military has unique requirements for achieving thermal management of electronic devices such as Line Replaceable Units (LRUs). Some of these requirements include low weight, high efficiency, and reliability. Therefore, it is important that critical electronics be cooled effectively using conventional and/or advanced cooling technologies.

The primary objective of this work is to develop a Line Replaceable Unit Cooling Technology (LRUCT) summary database and application guide of current and future cooling technologies, and to assess readiness level of each technology, location/situation to be used, and characteristics. The guide will allow rapid development of LRU cooling concepts and to assist in the evaluation of the different cooling methods that best fit a specific application; thus, supporting system and subsystem level selection and LRU designs.