Active and passive air cooling

Air cooling is the most widely used method of cooling low and medium power electronic components, given the affordability and high efficiency achieved by modern air dissipation.

The main component of this type of cooling is the heatsink, which can be realized in various materials depending on the need of the individual application and the costs related to it. Normally, the heatsink is made by extrusion and subsequently processed to obtain the most suitable form depending on both contact surface and cooling performance to be achieved. For more advanced applications, we can also develop Heat-Pipe solutions, which move heat through a fluid in a closed circuit, obtaining higher efficiency compared to standard heatsinks.

The category is divided into 2 main areas, Active and Passive

Active cooling is achieved ventilating the area in which the heatsink is located, or to directly ventilate the heatsink. The heat generated by the component is absorbed by the heatsink, and thanks to active ventilation, it releases the accumulated heat to the surrounding environment.

Passive cooling, on the other hand, requires no active ventilation, since the heatsink absorbs heat from the component and transfers it to the environment via convection. This type of cooling is used where noise levels need to be kept at a minimum, or where the electronic components or sources of heat to be dissipated are not too high. Passive cooling needs more heatsink dissipating surface compared to active cooling, since it cannot count on direct ventilation or constant air movement.

In both cases, a good ventilation of the system on its whole plays a critical part, and it can be achieved in several different ways. DimasTech is able to counsel in choosing the best compromise between performance / price / noise for any application.

Advantages: Inexpensive, easy to customize
Disadvantages: Noisy, dependent on ambient temperature, low efficiency