1414 Tyco E lectron ics Corp.
Data Sheet
June 1997
18 Vdc to 36 Vdc Input; 25 W
DC025 Triple Output-Series Power Modules:
Thermal Considerations (continued)
Ba sic Thermal Performance
The maximum operating temperature of the DC025 Tri-
ple Output-Serie s Power M odu les at a given opera ting
condition can be predicted by combining the power dis-
sipation cur ves (Figures 23 through 27), the power der-
ating cur ve (Figure 28), and t he ther m al resistance
curve (Figure 28).
Use Figures 23 through 28 and the steps below to pre-
dict the safe operating region for ma ny different operat-
ing and environ men tal conditions.
1. Calculate the total output power.
POto tal = (IO1 x VO1) + (IO2 x VO2) + (IO3 x VO3)
2. Use POtotal with the appropriate figure (Figure 23
or 25) to determine the fix ed losses (PP) associ-
ated with operating at POtotal. These losses are
independent of which output the load is being
drawn from.
3. Use the desired output current (IO1) with Figure 25
to determ ine P S1, which is the additional power
being dissipated due to loading of the main output.
4. Repeat Step 3 for outputs 2 and 3 using the appro-
priate figure (Figure 23 or 27) to determine PS2 and
PS3, which is the power dissipated due to loading of
the auxiliary outputs .
5. Find the total power dissipated (PDtot al) by adding
the four power dissipations obtained in Steps 2
through 4.
PDtotal = P P + PS1 + PS2 + PS3
6. Use the estimated total power dissipated (PDtotal)
along with Figure 28 to determine the maxim um
ambient temperature allowable for a given air
velocity.
For example, cons ider th e DC02 5 ABK p o wer module
operating with 27 V input and output currents
IO1 = 2.5 A, IO2 = 0.5 A, IO3 = 0.5 A.
T he tot al ou tp ut pow er (P Ototal) is 24.5 W. The total
po wer dissipation is PDtotal = 4.86 W, which is obtained
by adding:
PP= 4.5 W (from Fig ure 23)
PS1 = 0.22 W (from Figure 25)
PS2 = 0.07 W (from Figure 23)
PS3 = 0.07 W (from Figure 23)
Figure 28 shows that in natural c onvec tion the maxi-
mum operating ambient temperature for this module is
approximately 66 °C.
Keep in mind that the procedure above provides
approximations of the te mperature and air velocities
required to keep the c ase t emp erature below i ts maxi-
mum rating. The maximum case temperature, as moni-
tored at the point shown in Fig ure 22, should be
main tained at 100 °C or less under all conditions.
Air Ve locity
The air velocity required to maint ain a desired maxi-
mum case temperature for a given power dissipation
and ambient temperature can be calculated using
Figure 28 and the following equation:
where:
■θCA is the thermal resistance from case-to-ambient
air (°C/W)
■TCmax is the desired maximum case temperature (°C)
■TA is the ambient inlet temperature (°C)
■PDtotal is the total power dissipated by the module
(W) at the desired operating condition
F or example, to maintain a maximum case temperature
of 85 °C with an ambient i nlet temperature of 65 °C and
a power dissipation of 4.86 W, the thermal resist ance is:
This correspo nds to an airflow greater than 0.38 ms–1
(75 fpm) in Figure 28.
θCA TCmax TA–
PDtotal
----------------------------
=
θCA ð 85 °C65 °C–
4.86 W
------------------------------------- 4.1°C/W=