Liquid Cooling Plates

We can provide a wide variety of different types of liquid cooling products. Even though it’s most common to use water or water/glycol mixtures, basically any liquid can be used, including for example liquid refrigerants, fluorocarbons, gasoline, hydraulic fluid or oil.

Liquid cooling is a natural evolution beyond air cooling where either due to thermal requirements or footprint requirements, the desired performance can no longer be economically met by air cooling. 

There are various methods of constructions which can be used, also possibility to create customized solutions, both machined and embedded.

The most common method is to have a plate with a flow path that moves liquid under the devices. After the heat is absorbed into the liquid, it is taken out of the plate and into the larger system. While water or water/glycol are the most common fluids used in liquid cooling, gasoline, oil, and refrigerant are other fluids that can be utilized.  There are lots of ways to construct a cold plate and the methods can be driven by the level of performance needed, the materials needed or the environmental requirements.

We offer for example, liquid cooling plates, heat exchangers and coolant distribution units.

We have also access to specialized cold plate technologies for specialized requirements in form factors, high heat flux application to guarantee high performance.

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Exposed Tube Liquid Cooling Plates

Wakefield Thermal‘s exposed tube liquid cold plates ensure minimum thermal resistance between the power device and the cold plate by placing the coolant tube in direct contact with the power device’s base. Direct contact reduces the number of thermal interfaces between device and fluid thus increasing performance for the application.

To create liquid cooling plates with exposed tubes, the tube in a plate by machining a groove in the plate. The tube can either be placed toward the top surface of the plate to provide better cooling to devices mounted on that surface, or it can be embedded further into the plate so that it cools devices mounted on both sides of the plate.

This option provides greater flexibility, but the thermal performance is limited because of the surface area of the tube perimeter.

Base Plate: Extruded Aluminum.
Copper Tube Material: .0375″ OD x .049″ wall.
Thermal Epoxy fill with high thermal conductivity.

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Full Buried Tube Liquid Cooling Plates

Wakefield Thermal’s fully buried tube liquid cold plates have the ability to cool both sides of the cold plate because of it’s positioning within the base plate. Another key feature of the fully buried tube is that it is not exposed to the outside environment. Some engineers prefer the epoxy layer above the tube to protect the tube from leakage.

For full buried tube liquid cold plates, there is a series of cross drilled holes in a plate. The holes intersect in the plate to determine the flow pattern and unneeded patterns are plugged. This construction method can be cost effective, but the pattern is limited to straight lines. 

Base Plate: Extruded Aluminum.
Copper Tube Material: .0375″ OD x .049″ wall.
Thermal Epoxy fill with high thermal conductivity

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High Performance Machined Liquid Cold Plate

To get more performance, extended surface area in contact with the fluid is required and this leads to machined cold plates.

Wakefield Thermal’s vacuum-brazed liquid cold plates are created bu machining two plates with interior channels and fin structures (zipper fin), which are then carefully sealed together inside a vacuum chamber. A filler metal with a lower melting points is melted into the joints of the cold plate via capillary action. The vacuum created in the chamber removes the atmosphere, thus preventing the forming of ozides that would normally for during the brazing process. Without the vacuum, a flux would be required to protect the joints as they are formed.

Compatible with the industry’s most common power module devices (SiC & GaN, IGBT’s, SCRs)
Lightweight for design for critical applications
Vacuum brazed construction ensures metal-to-metal flux free joint.
Ideal low pressure drops for medium and low flow rates
Leak-free (pressure tested) and corrosion-free construction.

Liquid Cooling Plates

One of the most common way to accomplish liquid cooling with some flow path with moves the liquid under the devices. After the heat is absorbed into the liquid, it is taken out of the plate and into the larger system. Multiply options of what liquid to choose, even though water or water/glycol mix is the most common.

Heat Exchangers

The Coolcentric family of heat exchangers comprises compromises passive, liquid cooled heat exchangers. Different options whether you would like to replace the rear doors ion your IT rack enclosures, or to use in-row heat exchanger.

Coolant Distribution Units

The Coolant Distribution Unit (CDU) provides close controlled cooling water for a variety of heat exchanger devices. The CDU creates an isolated secondary loop, separated from the chilled water supply, enabling strict containment and precise control of the liquid cooling system.

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