Computer-Aided Predictive Reliability Risk Analysis for High-Temperature Operation of Subsurface Electronics Development

Abstract

Abstract The engineering task to design a highly reliable printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) that can withstand high temperatures and vibration stress is a challenge faced by all downhole electronics designers in the oil and gas industry today. Discussion will focus a comprehensive Design for Reliability (DfR) process flow based on complementary use of computer-aided design (CAD) tools. The DfR can enable analysis of the PCBA electrical, vibration and thermal stresses, service life prediction, mean time between failure (MTBF) and identify potential design errors for iterative reliability improvement on the schematic-level, early in the design cycle. Stress analysis using CAD tools includes reliability risk assessment based on historical failures (i.e., engineering practice), detects uncertain design errors, and provides MTBF predictions and life predictions for the PCBA. This approach could improve PCBA performance and reliability by and reducing the product design cost and development time including the design qualification test. The process could accelerate the product development's time-to-market, increase customer satisfaction, and save product development costs. This paper discusses a case study used to evaluate this CAD-based DfR methodology. The paper also describes how the methodology can be used to support durability analysis at the early design stage.