The Study of Cooling Mechanism Design for High-Power Communication Module with Experimental Verification

Abstract

With the continued development of 5G mobile communications technology, the implementation of high-power communication systems has become a key indicator of developed nations. Communication modules are also trending toward wide bandwidth and high-capacity Multi-Input and Multi-Output systems. As the signal transmission speed and resolution continue with the increasing trend, the power used to operate these communications systems increase, causing extreme heat generation by transmit/receive modules (T/R module). In conditions where computation load increases in micro design systems, chips must operate in environments that are narrow, sealed, and have no convection, which can drastically increase the thermal load within a system. If no proper cooling system is utilized, the system fails or operates at impacted performance due to excessive temperatures. To solve the aforementioned problem, this study aimed to optimize the design of the cooling system in the T/R modules of communications systems by integrating heat pipes, cooling fans, cooling fins, and cooling chips within a limited space. We also proposed four types of cold plates based on the different directional clamp-in configuration methods of heat pipes within copper panels and utilized the finite element method to simulate and analyze the heat dissipation performance. The simulation results reveal that cold plates of types I and II can achieve a better heat dissipation performance. Finally, types I and II cold plates were selected for production and experimental verification. The results show that heat dissipation performances were similar to simulation results. The results also confirmed that type II cold plate has a better temperature uniformity and heat transfer efficiency. Thus, the cooling mechanism depicted in this study is viable in practical applications. The proposed mechanisms can also provide a reference for heat dissipation design patterns in different electronic module settings.

Keywords

• communication module
• heat dissipation
• heat pipe
• thermo electric cooler (TEC)