This invention relates generally to controlling temperatures within operating electronic units, and more specifically, to methods and apparatus for conductive cooling of electronic units.
Three ways to remove heat from electronic units include radiation, convection, and conduction. Typical electronic equipment rack installations, for example, those utilized for mounting of various electronic equipment in aircraft, are sometimes designed for forced air cooling, the forced air being blown through the electronic unit, which removes heat via convection. However, forced air cooling of electronic units also includes ducting for the routing of the forced air from an air pressure source, the air source, filtering, and other mechanisms which work to provide a positive pressure at each of the electronic units being cooled. In addition, the above described mechanisms for forced air cooling take up space, which is typically at a premium in an aircraft. Forced air cooling is sometimes referred to as blow through cooling.
In radiation cooling, a typical electronic unit is painted black or with some other high emissivity coating to maximize passive cooling through radiation. Sometimes however, other electronic equipment operating nearby is at approximately the same temperature. In such situations, radiation can become an inefficient method for cooling of electronic units.
Cooling through conduction would help to eliminate some of the equipment used in forced air cooling and could also overcome some of the inefficiencies of radiation cooling. Easy removal and replacement of electronic units, for example, in air vehicles, is also a consideration. Present electronic equipment installations include features and mechanisms that provides for easy removal and replacement of electronic units in the example equipment rack installations. These same ease of removal and replacement features have heretofore hindered development of conductive cooling mechanisms.