As the world becomes more diverse, our lives are constantly changing, including the various electronic products we encounter. You might be unfamiliar with some of the components of these products, such as communication switching power supplies. The primary component of a communication switching power supply is the high-frequency switching rectifier, which has gradually evolved and matured with the development of power electronics theory and technology, as well as power electronics equipment. Rectifiers using soft-switching technology offer reduced power consumption, lower temperatures, significant reductions in size and weight, and continuous improvements in overall quality and reliability. However, every 10°C increase in ambient temperature reduces the lifespan of key power components by 50%.
Reasons for Rapid Lifespan Decrease in Communication Switching Power Supplies
This rapid decline in lifespan is due to temperature fluctuations. Fatigue failure caused by various microscopic and macroscopic mechanical stresses, as well as the concentration of ferromagnetic materials and other components, can generate various types of microscopic internal defects under the continuous application of alternating stresses during operation. Therefore, ensuring effective heat dissipation is essential for ensuring device reliability and service life.
A power supply is an electrical energy conversion device. During this conversion process, it consumes some electrical energy, which is converted into heat and then released. The stability and aging rate of electronic components are closely related to ambient temperature. Power electronic components are composed of a variety of semiconductor materials. Because power components dissipate heat during operation through their own heat dissipation, thermal cycling of multiple materials with different expansion coefficients can generate significant stress, potentially leading to transient fracture and component failure. Prolonged operation of power components under abnormal temperature conditions can cause fatigue and fracture. Semiconductors, due to their thermal fatigue life, must operate within a relatively stable low-temperature range.
Power supply cooling methods for telecommunication switches
Power supply cooling generally utilizes two methods: direct conduction and convection. Direct conduction transfers heat energy from the higher-temperature end of an object to the lower-temperature end, and its heat transfer capacity is stable. Convection is the process of uniforming the temperature of a liquid or gas through rotational motion. Because convection involves a dynamic process, cooling is more rapid.
The design of cooling technology for telecommunication switch power supplies must first meet the industry's technical performance requirements. To best adapt to the unique operating environment of telecommunication rooms, cooling methods must be highly adaptable to ambient temperature fluctuations. Currently, commonly used cooling methods for rectifiers include natural cooling, fan-only cooling, and a combination of natural cooling and fan cooling. Natural cooling offers the advantages of no mechanical failures and high reliability; it also requires no air circulation, reduces dust, and provides excellent heat dissipation and noise reduction. Pure fan cooling is lightweight and low-cost. Combining fans with natural cooling technology effectively reduces equipment size and weight, extends fan life, and is resilient to fan failures.
Natural cooling was a traditional cooling method used in the early days of switching power supplies. This method primarily relied on large metal heat sinks for direct heat dissipation. Heat transfer Q = KAΔt (K = heat transfer coefficient, A = heat transfer area, Δt = temperature difference). As the rectifier's output power increases, the temperature of its power components rises, and the temperature difference Δt also increases. Therefore, when the rectifier's heat exchange area A is sufficient, heat dissipation is seamless, and the temperature difference across the power components is minimal, minimizing thermal shock. However, the main disadvantage of this method is the large size and weight of the heat sink.
With advances in fan manufacturing technology, fan operating stability and service life have greatly improved, with a mean time between failures of 50,000 hours. Using fans for heat dissipation reduces the size of the heat sink, significantly improving the size and weight of the rectifier, and significantly reducing raw material costs. With intensifying market competition and falling prices, this technology has become a major trend.
Due to fluctuations in ambient temperature and load, the power supply dissipates heat during operation. This can be rapidly dissipated using a combination of fans and natural cooling. This approach reduces the heat sink area while increasing the fan's heat dissipation capacity, allowing the power components to operate in a relatively stable temperature field, ensuring their service life is unaffected by fluctuating external conditions. This not only overcomes the drawback of pure fan cooling, which can lead to delayed heat dissipation regulation of the power components, but also avoids the impact of a short fan lifespan on the overall reliability of the rectifier. Combining air cooling with natural cooling offers improved cooling performance, especially when the ambient temperature in the computer room is highly volatile. The rectifier's material cost is between that of pure fan cooling and natural cooling, and it is lightweight and easy to maintain.
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