Heat pipes from CTX Thermal Solutions prove that efficient cooling of electronic components is possible even in the tightest of spaces. The manufacturer of customized cooling solutions is thus serving the ongoing trend that is defining the development of electronic components: higher performance and smaller dimensions.
Electronic components – such as IGBTs, CPUs or components in electric vehicles – are becoming ever smaller but simultaneously more powerful. To maintain the performance of components at high operating temperatures, they have to be efficiently cooled despite tight installation conditions. CTX offers the ideal cooling system for this requirement – heat pipes.
Cooling with water vapor and condensation
CTX recommends the heat pipe for all applications in which a heat sink cannot be connected directly to the electronic component. Their design and operating principle allow installation in virtually any situation. A heat pipe is a closed system. A copper tube with a capillary structure connects the actual heat pipe to a heat sink. A cooling medium in the interior, generally methanol or water, transports the heat from the electronic component to the heat sink. This is made possible by the phase change between evaporation and condensation: The cooling medium evaporates in the heat zone, reducing the pressure in the copper tube. The pressure differential causes the vapor to flow to the cold zone at the transition to the heat sink, where it condenses, and heat is released. The capillary action causes the cooling medium to flow back to the starting point of the circuit.
The most efficient thermal transfer solution
Heat pipes are considered the most efficient solution for thermal transfer in electronic components. Even when they bridge small differences in temperature, they dissipate large amounts of heat. Their design also makes it possible for them to perform their function over large distances. They need no additional pumps or pipes. Therefore, they require less maintenance than other systems, which use liquid for cooling. Heat pipes allow for high freedom of design. This means that CTX can individually adapt heat pipes to the particular installation space and power dissipation of each application. CTX heat pipes are used for example in notebooks, processors and electric vehicles.
CTX implements customized thermal management for every application
The development and production of customized cooling solutions is the strength of CTX. The Nettetal-based company uses all available manufacturing processes, from die-casting to extrusion. On request, CTX will also perform finishing on CNC machines, which improves the thermal transfer even more.
