With contemporary high-performance embedded systems, the thermal requirements must be addressed at the beginning of the design process. Thermal simulation provides engineers with a key tool to reduce design time and the number of re-spins. Perhaps even more importantly, using this tool enables designers to predict and plan for failures, thereby reducing design risks and improving reliability for mission-critical applications.
Thermal Simulation and Air Flow Design
Thermal simulation is another of Advantech’s core competencies. The company has adopted FLoTHERM as its standard thermal simulation tool. FloTHERM is a powerful 3D computational fluid dynamics software program that can be used to predict airflow and heat transfers in and around electronic equipment, as well as the combined effects of conduction, convection, and radiation. The benefits of using FloTHERM to assess the thermal design of electronics are as follows:
- Thermal problems can be resolved before hardware is built
- Design re-spins and product unit costs are reduced
- Improved reliability and overall engineering design
Feasibility Study
To ensure long-term quality, limit trial and error, and reduce costs, Advantech adopted FloTHERM to perform thermal simulation. By accurately simulating thermal conditions, system operation, and low noise requirements, system size and weight can be carefully controlled. FloTHERM provides valuable feasibility studies prior to the building of prototypes, assisting with the placement of optimized components and the design of fan and heatsink solutions, thermal interface materials, as well as air flow and ventilation locations.
New Heat Sink Design-Dynamic Heat Conduction System
Vital for transferring heat, heat sinks are typically made of materials that easily dissipate heat, such as bronze or aluminum. Heat sinks usually feature a fin-shaped design to maximize the surface area and accelerate heat transfers. Advantech invented a new heat sink design known as a dynamic heat conduction system. This system enhances the thermal conduction from hot components to heat spreaders and offers superior mechanical tolerance control. Compared to standard designs, this heat sink dissipates heat from the CPU more effectivity, eliminates potential bending during PCB assembly, and reduces temperatures by approximately 11~ 25 °C. This dynamic heat conduction system has been successfully applied to Advantech’s MIO-5271 and MIO-9290 products. Advantech continues to improve the capabilities of professional heat sink designs to ensure effective system heat dissipation.