Heatsink Calculations

7/3/2021 Heatsink Calculations – Renewable Energy Innovation
Heatsink Calculations
I’ve been designing some heatsinks for the open-source charge controller project
(https://www.re-innovation.co.uk/web12/index.php/en/projects/open-charge-regulator). The
circuit contains a diode and a MOSFET, which could potentially have up to 20A owing through
them. In this case they will get hot and will eventually fail. I need to ensure that they will be
kept within their speci c working parameters by keeping them cool. This is done with a big lump
of metal, usually called a heatsink.
In this post I’ll go through my design calculations to design a heatsink for an example system.
Heatsink theory
The lifetime of all semiconductor devices is inversely proportional to their operating
temperature. For reliable operation and long component lifetime, it is vital to ensure adequate
removal of heat from the device. Within a switching device, there are two main losses: resistive
and switching. Both will increase the temperature of the switching device. The resistive element
is an I2R loss due to the current through the device and its ‘on’ resistance. Heat is also
generated each time the device is switched, due to its IV characteristic. This loss is proportional
to the switching frequency.
There are a couple of very good application reports available which also show this process, I
would suggest reading both:
Texas Instruments “Understanding Thermal Dissipation and Design of a Heatsink”

(http://www.ti.com/lit/an/slva462/slva462.pdf)
Electus Distribution “Heatsink Basics”
(http://www.jaycar.co.uk/images_uploaded/heatsink.pdf)
The heat generated within a device must be transferred through many layers for dispersal to
ambient. This diagram shows the heat transfer paths and the equations to calculate the transfer
rate:
This diagram is taken from my PhD report

(https://www.reinnovation.co.uk/uploads/LittleThesisRenewableEnergyWithHydrogen.pdf).
The input current, voltage and the switching frequency are used to calculate the power
dissipation requirements.
The heat transfer paths within the device can be obtained from the component data sheets. If
the device must be insulated from the heatsink then an additional layer is introduced.
Careful attention must be paid to the implementation of any applied insulation. Mylar insulators
with a silicone heat-transfer compound or special silicone insulators can be used. The silicone
heat-transfer compound must not be applied too thickly or it will add to the heat transfer
resistance. Finally, the heatsink must be correctly sized for the required power dissipation. The
https://www.re-innovation.co.uk/docs/heatsink-calculations/ 1/7
temperature of the junction, Tj, must be kept as low as possible as it will affect the component
lifetime. The data sheet speci es a maximum junction temperature of 150 ºC but a value of
100ºC was used in the calculations to allow some headroom.
Heatsink design example

In this example I have the following components which need to be cooled:
A diode, type VT2045BP (http://www.vishay.com/docs/89448/vt2045bp.pdf)

A MOSFET, type PSMN015-60PS
(http://www.nxp.com/documents/data_sheet/PSMN015-60PS.pdf)
They have up to 20A owing through them.
Power dissipation
We rst need to calculate how much power is being dissipated in each device.
Diode power dissipation

The diode power dissipation is due to the current owing through the device and the forward
voltage drop. To minimise the forward voltage drop I am using a Schottky Recti er diode, which
will have a lower forward voltage drop than other diode types.
According to the data sheet for this device the forward voltage drop is: 0.51V at 20A.
This equates to a power loss of 0.51V x 20A = 10.2W. (Note that at 12V DC, this would be 12V x
20A = 240W, 4.2% of the total power generated).
MOSFET on power dissipation

MOSFETs dissipate power due to I2R when they are on. I have chosen a MOSFET with a low
value on resistance, which is, according to the datasheet: 14.8milliOhms.
This equates to a power loss of 20A2 x 0.0148ohms = 5.92W. (Note that at 12V DC, this would
be 12V x 20A = 240W, 2.5% of the total power generated).
MOSFET switching power dissipation

MOSFETs dissipate power as they move through the non-linear region of their VI characteristic.
That means that each time they are switched on or off then they will dissipate some power. The
amount of power dissipated will depend upon the switching frequency. More information on
this topic can be found at:
EE Times article (http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1278970)

MicroSemi application note (http://www.google.co.uk/url?
sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cad=rja&ved=0CDgQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.microsemi.co
portal%2Fdoc_download%2F14692-mosfet-
tutorial&ei=US8NUqn_LsbP0QXs74GoCg&usg=AFQjCNE009Qqx0vxi0vttbMFC5w9YaxoIg&sig2=rLqAyuO0Hwl0
Maxim semiconductors application note

(http://www.maximintegrated.com/appnotes/index.mvp/id/1832)
From the Maxim application note we nd that an approximation for calculating the switching
losses (PDSWITCHING ) (it is approximate as the actual value depends on lots of factors) is:
PDSWITCHING = (CRSS × VIN² × fSW × ILOAD)/IGATE
where CRSS is the MOSFET’s reverse-transfer capacitance

(http://www.maximintegrated.com/glossary/de nitions.mvp/term/Capacitor/gpk/1168) (a data
sheet parameter), fSW is the switching frequency, and IGATE is the MOSFET gate-driver’s
sink/source current at the MOSFET’s turn-on threshold (the VGS of the gate-charge curve’s at
portion).
From the datasheet we nd that the and CRSS = 95pFthat IGATE = 0.5A (this was an approximation,
from the Vgs of 5V at switch on). From out design parameters we know that the PWM switching
frequency is 400Hz (from the Arduino output), ILOAD = 20A, VIN = 12V or 24V.
Hence the power dissipation due to switch is 0.0002W at 12V and 0.0008W at 24V. These are
VERY small values. If the switching frequency is increased then these witching losses would
become a much bigger proportion of the power loss. Or I have done the maths incorrectly.
So the total maximum power dissipation, Pd, is 10.2W + 5.92W + 0.0002W = 16.12W.
Heatsink design
We will be using the equation: Tj = Pd (Rjc +Rcs + Rsa) +Ta, where Ta = 25C, Tj = 100C and the values
of Rjc and Rcs come from the device data sheets.
We need to perform this calculation for the two different devices, the diode and the MOSFET,
but with only one junction from the heatsink to the ambient, as we will be putting both devices
onto the same heatsink.
The equation becomes:
Tj = PD Diode (Rjc +Rcs) + PD MOSFET (Rjc +Rcs) + (PD Diode +PD MOSFET) Rsa +Ta
We are trying to nd the value Rsa which can be used to specify the heatsink.
From the data sheets we can nd that, for the diode: Rjc = 1.5 C/W and for the MOSFET: Rjc = 1
C/W.
The value of Rcs depends upon the mounting method. For a T0-220 package:
If mounted directly Rcs = 1-1.3C/W

If mounted with heatsink compound Rcs = 0.5-0.8 C/W
If mounted with mica insulator and heatsink compound Rcs = 0.8-1.4 C/W
In the design I am working on, the case for the diode and the case for the MOSFET are at exactly
the same potential, so it does not matter if they are electrically connected. I will be using
heatsink compound, so the value of Rcs = 0.5-0.8 C/W, we will use the worst case which is Rcs =
0.8 C/W.
We now have everything we need to calculate the value of Rsa which can be used to specify the
heatsink.
100 = 10.2(1.5 +0.8) + 5.92(1 +0.8) + (16.12) Rsa + 25
40.884 = (16.12) Rsa
For 100C max junction temperature: Rsa = 2.54 C/W
I re-did these calculations for a junction temperature of 150C, which is also OK for these
devices:
150 = 23.46 + 10.65 + (16.12) Rsa + 25
90.89 = (16.12) Rsa
For 150C max junction temperature: Rsa = 5.63 C/W
Now we know the minimum Rsa value for our heatsink for two different temperatures. Any
heatsink with a thermal resistance value lower than this will be suitable.
Heatsinks are quite expensive and heavy. I need it to work reliably, but there will not be many
times the unit is operating at 20A. Hence I will design for a value of 5.63 C/W or lower. This
should reduce the size and cost of the heatsink required.
Heatsink nal decision

When looking for heatsinks we need to look for a heatsink with a thermal resistance lower than
our design value. this will ensure it can dissipate the required amount of heat.
In this case I am designing for 5.63 C/W. All heatsinks have a C/W (sometimes a K/W, but the
same thing) rating. This can be used to decide which to choose.
Searching on a number of websites (typically RS, Farnell, CPC and Rapid) I found two from
Farnell which I will test out and design the unit around:
Extuded heatsink 4.9 C/W (http://uk.farnell.com/ scher-elektronik/sk-454-75-sa/ledheatsink-

standard-extruded/dp/1850030)
AAvid Thermalloy 5.36 C/W (http://uk.farnell.com/aavid-thermalloy/os533-100-b/heat-

sinkmax-clip-standard-100mm/dp/1773371)
5 responses to “Heatsink Calculations”

Gbenga says:
18th August 2019 at 22:14 (https://www.re-
innovation.co.uk/docs/heatsinkcalculations/#comment-1780)
Hey there! Great content you’ve got here. I’m a little confused on the heat sink theory. It says
the operating life of the conductor is inversely proportional to it’s operating temperature. My
question is isn’t it supposed to be directly proportional.
Reply (https://www.re-innovation.co.uk/docs/heatsink-calculations/?
replytocom=1780#respond)
Matthew Little says:

19th August 2019 at 13:25 (https://www.re-
Hi,
So it’s the operating life of a semi-conductor (such as an integrated circuit or transistor)
that is inversely affected by temperature.
This means that a higher temperature will give a lower life (i.e. rising temperature will
give decreasing life, hence inversely proportional). Hope thats some help!
Ziad says:
20th January 2020 at 08:23 (https://www.re-
innovation.co.uk/docs/heatsinkcalculations/#comment-1800) Thanks a lot.
Masoud says:
28th January 2021 at 11:07 (https://www.re-
innovation.co.uk/docs/heatsinkcalculations/#comment-1945) Hi you calculate the by the (Pd =
I^2*R) formula. and you said that you are using your MOSFET in 20A and 12V. and the Rds on =
0.014 ohm.
so what if we want to use an IRF3710 MOSFET on 0.2A current and Vds =75V and Vgs =
3.5v?
consider the Rds On = 0.025 is written in datasheet.
is it right to calculate the Pds with this equation? Pd = (0.2^2*0.025) = 0.001 watt is it
necessary for me to use heat sink?
Or should I calculate the Rds for 0.2A and Vgs = 3.5 volts?
thanks a lot!
Matthew Little says:

31st January 2021 at 16:36 (https://www.re-
Hi,
For the power calculation, you only need to know the current owing through the FET and
the on resistance.
Power = Current^2 * Resistance.
So for your calculation with 0.2A and RDSon at 0.025 then the power is exactly what you
say – 0.001W or 1 milli-watt.
This is a tiny amount of heat and the case of the FET will be able to dissipate this!
The time you need to worry about this is for higher currents.
If there was 2 A owing, then you would need to dissipate: 2^2 * 0.025 = 0.1W. Actually –
thats not much either!
If there was 10 A owing then need to dissipate: 2.5W – you would need a heatsink here.
Seems like quite a food FET with low on resistance.
This is OK if you are switching on and off every so often. If you are switching fast (say
about 100Hz) then you need to thuink about switching losses.
But I think for your 0.2A application then this mosfet is ne with no heat sink… Cheers!
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7/3/2021 Heatsink Calculations – Renewable Energy Innovation

Texas Instruments “Understanding Thermal Dissipation and Design of a Heatsink”

This diagram is taken from my PhD report

Heatsink design example

A diode, type VT2045BP (http://www.vishay.com/docs/89448/vt2045bp.pdf)

They have up to 20A owing through them.

Diode power dissipation

MOSFET on power dissipation

MOSFET switching power dissipation

EE Times article (http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1278970)

Maxim semiconductors application note

PDSWITCHING = (CRSS × VIN² × fSW × ILOAD)/IGATE

where CRSS is the MOSFET’s reverse-transfer capacitance

The equation becomes:

If mounted directly Rcs = 1-1.3C/W

100 = 10.2(1.5 +0.8) + 5.92(1 +0.8) + (16.12) Rsa + 25

40.884 = (16.12) Rsa

For 100C max junction temperature: Rsa = 2.54 C/W

150 = 23.46 + 10.65 + (16.12) Rsa + 25

90.89 = (16.12) Rsa

For 150C max junction temperature: Rsa = 5.63 C/W

Heatsink nal decision

Extuded heatsink 4.9 C/W (http://uk.farnell.com/ scher-elektronik/sk-454-75-sa/ledheatsink-

AAvid Thermalloy 5.36 C/W (http://uk.farnell.com/aavid-thermalloy/os533-100-b/heat-

5 responses to “Heatsink Calculations”

Matthew Little says:

Matthew Little says:

The Curious Electric Company

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