Optimizing System Compute and Bandwidth Density for Deployed HPEC Applications
Abstract
Many high-end deployed military and commercial applications share a common need to achieve high to very high compute and bandwidth density in the smallest possible volume. In addition, deployed military applications layer on additional environmental requirements, such as higher levels of shock, vibration, endurance vibration, temperature, and condensing humidity. Each of these requirements adds constraints on the solution space for maximizing compute and communication density. Not all HPEC applications can use the same solution due to varying limits on total size or weight and varying levels of ruggedness. For example, the size and weight requirements differ greatly for manned surveillance aircraft, large UAVs, and small UAVs. This presentation explores different options for high-density system designs while meeting the requirements for each of these applications, with an emphasis on thermal management and board real estate utilization. This presentation describes one technique for extracting greater thermal efficiency from an air-cooled design called "finely managed air." In this approach, covers on the boards, heatsinks captive in these covers, and airflow shaping in the covers, slots, and chassis inlet areas are all designed together as a system to carefully direct all available air flow over the hottest components to extract the maximum thermal efficiency. While in conventional board and heat sink design the majority of the air wants to flow around the high-impedance heat sinks instead of through them, the new approach uses features in the cover that directs air through the heat sinks. Since high velocity flow tends to ride up the backplane and starve the front of the board, there is also a need to balance the airflow front to back within a slot to also maximize cooling efficiency. Sixteen briefing charts summarize the presentation. (2 figures)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Aug 20, 2004
- Accession Number
- ADA428756
Entities
People
- Randy Banton
- Richard Jaenicke