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Powerware, a leading global provider of comprehensive power
quality and backup power management solutions, faced stiff
design restrictions in producing its new rectifier
module. The unit would dissipate over 300 W, and in order to
achieve balanced three-phase currents, units had to be mounted
in multiples of three per 19-inch wide shelf. This meant the
rectifier envelope had to shrink by at least 50% over the
existing model.
Geometry allowed little leeway in manipulating the
electronics to enhance cooling. Components had to be positioned
in a predefined sequence and this limited the possible locations
for heat sinks, vents and fans.
To quickly scope the problem, Powerware design engineers
enlisted Coolit to visually determine where hot spots would
develop and rapidly explore numerous "what if" scenarios without
expensive and time-consuming physical prototypes. Coolit helped
design a tiny, but highly effective heat sink with optimized fin
spacing and pinpointed preferred fan and vent locations.
Throughout the design process Coolit's ease-of-use proved
crucial. The electronics engineers who undertook the thermal
design had no formal training in computational fluid dynamics.
But Coolit's built-in tutorial and intuitive interface
quickly helped the designers get up to speed. Throughout the
design process, Daat's technical support offered ready
assistance by email and telephone. Often Daat would initiate
contact to make sure the project was proceeding smoothly.
Once the Coolit-based changes were implemented, the resulting
design exceeded the dimensional goals. The new unit shrunk to
roughly 60% of the original model's size, enabling six units to
fit within a 19-inch shelf. Plus, the rectifier's power density
exceeded 10 W/in3 - making it the most power dense 3kW rectifier
available.
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