New Instrument Tests and Measures Thermal and Hydraulic Performance of Cold Plates

To characterize cold plates for use in electronic devices, the new iFLOW-200™ from Advanced Thermal Solutions, Inc., tests and measures the coolant’s temperature at inlet and outlet, fluid flow rate and pressure drop, and surface temperature.

Norwood, MA (I-Newswire) November 15, 2012 - Advanced Thermal Solutions, Inc. (ATS) has released a new thermal test instrument, the iFLOW-200™, which assesses the thermal and hydraulic characteristics of cold plates in electronics cooling. It can be used to simulate a wide range of conditions to optimize a cold plate’s performance before it is commercialized or prior to its use in an actual application.

The iFLOW-200™ measures coolant temperatures from 0-70°C with the high accuracy of ± 1°C. Differential pressure of the coolant in the cold plate is measured up to 103,000 Pa (15 psi), with the precise accuracy of ± 1%. Distilled water is used as the reference coolant. For test comparisons, the system’s coolingVIEW™ software can also calculate thermal resistance and pressure drop as a function of flow rate for selected liquids.

The instrument system includes a pair of K-type thermocouples for measuring temperature changes on the cold plate surface. Temperatures are monitored on the coolingVIEW™ interface.

The iFLOW-200™ system features easy set up and operation to save time when evaluating different cold plate models. Designed for accuracy and convenience, the iFLOW-200™ simply requires setting the starting and ending coolant flow rates, and choosing the dwell time, pumping power and other parameters. These are easily done on any PC using the system’s user-friendly application program.

The iFLOW-200™ system features separate controller and hydraulics enclosures with USB connections. The hydraulic package includes a fluid level indicator, coolant inlets and outlets from/to the cold plate under test, ports for surface temperature thermocouples, and a fluid cooling system for its internal heat exchanger. The iFLOW-200™ is also ideal for testing alternative liquids.

More information about the iFLOW-200™ Cold Plate Characterization System can be found at http://www.qats.com/Products/Temperature-and-Velocity-Measurement/Instruments/iFLOW-200