The application of heat pipes for the thermal management of conduction-cooled avionic packages using VHSIC technology (l-W to 3-W chips) is addressed. Test results are used to show the increase in the allowable power of the conduction-cooled avionic package obtained with heat pipes. Thermal performance was satisfactory for both horizontal and vertical attitudes. Performance predictions with a finite-element model are used to provide an understanding of the constraints that limit thermal performance and package power. Two Hughes prototype heat pipes using methanol as the working fluid are evaluated for two package configurations: one for a pluggable 64-mm multichip module (MCM) dissipating 50 W and the other for single-chip modules (SCMs) surface-mounted on a printed wiring board (PWB). Both heat pipe designs are characterized relative to transport capacity, liquid blockage, and heat flux.
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