As the modular DC-DC converter industry realizes greater power densities, proper thermal management must be achieved in order to get the most usable power to the load.
Efficiency, while an important element in thermal management, is not the only item to consider. Dealing with
the heat generated by the conversion process should not
be underestimated nor overlooked when designing or
selecting a power supply.
All power product manufacturers specify the maximum
operating temperature of their products. Product reliability
and operating life are inversely proportional to operating
temperature. Assuring a robust design requires that the
temperature limit not be exceeded under any operating
conditions and that sufficient margin be built in. This requires
careful analysis, understanding of the application and
verification through experimentation that the chosen
thermal management approach can deal effectively with
the environmental and load induced demands.
The first step in this process is to determine the worst-case
power dissipation that the system is likely to develop. Use the
following equations to determine the efficiency of the converter over the desired operating range and the maximum loading the device will deliver. Conversion efficiency is defined as: