Testrigg för utvärdering av 3D-printade kylplattor för GaN-förstärkare

Abstract

The effectiveness of active phased array antennas with GaN amplifiers heavily relies on the individual components. The GaN amplifier's reliability is affected by the heat that is produced during operation. Utilizing liquid cooled cold plates is an effective method of heat removal from electronics. 3D-printed cold plates for even distribution of heat dissipation across the cold plate have been designed by the research project Mucool and require testing for evaluation. In this study a test rig is constructed for the purpose of experimental characterization of the coldplates, where heat transfer capabilities of the cold plate along with the mechanical resistance is measured. The goal of the project was that the test rig would register data of pressure-, and temperature difference across the cold plate, as well as the flow rate into Matlab to compare to simulated values from the design process of the cold plate. The project had three main parts, where the first part was finding appropriate components for the test rig. Fulfilling the prerequisites that the system could interface with Matlab. The second phase entailed interfacing the sensors for data acquisition and creating a program in Matlab for data logging. Third phase was building the design of the test rig for testing the cold plates. The result of the project was a semi controllable test rig with real time monitoring and storing of parameters. The test rig achieves its objective for analyzing the cold plates. Recommendations are made for optimizing the system and improvements that can be made in future studies. The report is written in Swedish.