Abstract
The removal of heat from electronic components, increasingly miniaturized with high power dissipation per unit volume, is a significant industrial problem to be resolved, to avoid failures due to excessive temperatures and besides to maintain performance and operating conditions. This article describes the development of a one-dimensional thermodynamic model to simulate the cooling of electronic chips belonging to inverters for stationary PV solar arrays; these are typically located in very different environments, including deserts or very hot areas, so the operating life of theirs inverter units are strongly affected by changes in external environmental conditions. Results have shown that the model allows, with very low calculation times, to quantify the effects of cooling performance and thermal load of electronics both in design and off-design conditions: the working temperature of the components was monitored as the effectiveness of the main heat exchanger vary with the exposure to the external environment over time, in terms of fouling and as the ambient air temperature changes; in this case a simple control system was simulated to limit the maximum temperature of the chips and the air flow rate of the fans. The thermal performances of two types of glycol-based refrigerant fluids have been compared.
Highlights
Recent developments regarding electronic components and other semiconductor devices in terms of miniaturization have led to a huge increase in power density; this trend has created new technological challenges to maintain the reliability of these systems, in particular through limiting the maximum temperature of the chip junction through removing the heat produced by the power dissipation of the devices themselves; more than 50% of all electronics failures are caused by shortcomings in temperature control [1]
Some studies have estimated that an average heat flux per unit area of about 150-180 W/cm2 was a trustworthy magnitude for a generic electronic component up to 2018 [2]
Among the main industrial applications concerning cooling systems for electronic components, such as data centers, supercomputers and many others [7]–[10], we will focus on inverters; these devices have achieved at this point very high efficiencies, around 98%, and can be managed thermally by air convention for residential applications [11]; when the electrical power involved is very high, considerable amounts of heat remain to be removed and liquid cooling systems can be considered, as in the case inverters for stationary applications in large photovoltaic solar fields [12]
Summary
Recent developments regarding electronic components and other semiconductor devices in terms of miniaturization have led to a huge increase in power density; this trend has created new technological challenges to maintain the reliability of these systems, in particular through limiting the maximum temperature of the chip junction through removing the heat produced by the power dissipation of the devices themselves; more than 50% of all electronics failures are caused by shortcomings in temperature control [1]. Among the main industrial applications concerning cooling systems for electronic components, such as data centers, supercomputers and many others [7]–[10], we will focus on inverters; these devices have achieved at this point very high efficiencies, around 98%, and can be managed thermally by air convention for residential applications [11]; when the electrical power involved is very high, considerable amounts of heat remain to be removed and liquid cooling systems can be considered, as in the case inverters for stationary applications in large photovoltaic solar fields [12] These systems, often installed in hot and desert areas, can be affected by outside air temperatures even above 50°C and so it is essential to maintain reliability over time, controlling the maximum temperatures of the semiconductors mainly for two reasons: on one hand to maintain a constant power supply and avoid sudden disconnection from the grid and on the other hand to minimize maintenance and repair costs [13], which can be higher for stand-alone plants
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
