Isotherm Tech News

Synthetic Jet Technology

2009-05-25T10:18:00.005-04:00

Nuventix has developed a patented synthetic jet for active cooling of electronics that produces 30 to 200 turbulent air pulses per second. This pulsatile flow breaks up the fluid and thermal boundary layers that inhibit heat transfer from an electronic heat source to the cooling air flow. Lower acoustic noise and power is claimed compared to conventional fan cooling. Visit the Nuventix website for more details and an excellent Flash demo of the synthetic jet description of operation. A nice overview article is also available in the Spring 2009 issue of Thermal News.

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Thermal & Fluid Course Updated for Excel 2007

2009-05-18T20:27:00.007-04:00

The next public offering of the short course "Thermal & Fluid Systems Modeling with Excel/VBA" will be offered June 16-18, 2009 in Beltsville, MD. The course has been completely updated for Excel 2007 while retaining all information for previous versions. An index of topics and a set of sample slides can be accessed at: Isotherm Technologies: Training. To see a full description of the course and register to attend, visit the ATI website at: Thermal & Fluid Systems Modeling course

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Aerogel Based Product for Building Insulation

2009-03-01T17:39:00.002-05:00

An aerogel based product is now available for construction applications with a claimed 30% increase in wall thermal insulation performance when applied to framing studs. Aerogel was originally developed for aerospace applications. The commercially available product is available at: www.thermablok.com

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Microbial Hydrogen Production

2009-03-01T17:28:00.002-05:00

A team at Pennsylvania State University has made a significant cost breakthrough in microbial hydrogen production technology by replacing the standard platinum cathode with a stainless steel brush in the electrolysis cell. Surface area and electrode spacing are key parameters to be optimized in ongoing research. Find more details at: "Cheap Hydrogen from Scraps"

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Intel's System-on-Chip (SoC) Designs Address Thermal Issues

2009-03-01T17:09:00.007-05:00

Intel is developing system-on-chip (SoC) designs that combine multiple functions such as graphics processing, wireless communications and general computations on a single chip for use in smart phones, netbooks and other mobile devices. To address thermal issues, these SoC devices include on-chip temperature sensing to allow off-loading of tasks to different parts of the chip to prevent heat related damage. Lower operating voltages are also being implemented in the designs to reduce power consumption, another key thermal driver. Read more at: Intel's New Breed of Chips

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Ocean Topography and Mars in Latest Google Earth

2009-03-01T16:42:00.007-05:00

The latest version of Google Earth now includes the ability to explore ocean topography, a valuable tool for anyone doing underwater systems development. More than 50,000 separate measurements such as underwater terrain elevation have been added. Ocean surface temperatures can also be tracked. For those with extraterrestial interests, Google Earth version 5 also includes high resolution 3-D views of Mars. The latest version of Google Earth can be downloaded at: http://earth.google.com/

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Wireless Electricity

2009-01-19T12:45:00.007-05:00

Fast Company magazine has put together a good overview article on the status of several wireless electricity technologies. These technologies use inductive resonance and other techniques to transmit electrical power from a generation source to one or more targets without any physical connections (i.e. wires). Potential applications in thermal and fluid systems could include wireless pumps and sensors. For some systems, the ability to eliminate wired connections or batteries could lead to dramatic performance and capability improvements. Read the article at: "Wireless Electricity is Here..."

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Thermal News Magazine & Website

2009-01-19T12:32:00.005-05:00

Thermal News magazine and its associated website offers news, articles, and other resources related to thermal topics. The focus is primarily sensors and electronics thermal management, with a good balance of new products and application oriented articles. Check it out at: thermalnews.com

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Thermal Management Articles

2009-01-11T19:45:00.009-05:00

QPedia is an e-magazine published by Advanced Thermal Solutions that provides articles on the thermal management of electronics. As an example, the December 2008 issue contains the following topics:

Heat Transfer Analysis of Compact Heat Exchangers Using Standard Curves
Adiabatic Heat Transfer Coefficient in Thermal Analysis
Dimensional Analysis in Thermal Management
Phase Change Materials for Transient Electronics Cooling

All current and archived articles are available in pdf format for free download. Check it out at: QPedia

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Excel Solver Guidelines

2009-01-11T19:05:00.006-05:00

Excel ships with a powerful add-in for multi-parameter optimization called Solver. Although Solver is a very robust optimizer, there are some tips and pitfalls in its usage that are not documented in Excel. A report written by the authors of the Solver algorithm provides insight into the inner workings of the optimizer. From the report introduction:

"In designing the spreadsheet optimizer that is bundled with
Microsoft Excel, we and Microsoft made certain choices in designing
its user interface, model processing, and solution algorithms
for linear, nonlinear, and integer programs. We describe
some of the common pitfalls users encounter and remedies
available in the latest version of Microsoft Excel. The Solver
has many applications and great impact in industry and
education."

The full report can be accessed at: Isotherm Technologies: Resources

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Thermal & Fluid Systems Modeling Course

2009-01-11T17:09:00.011-05:00

The next public offering of the course "Thermal & Fluid Systems Modeling with Excel/VBA" has been scheduled for June 16-18, 2009 in Beltsville, MD. This expanded 3-day course if for engineers, scientists, and others interested in developing custom thermal and fluid models using Excel and its built in programming language, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). For more information on the course, or to register for the next offering, visit: www.aticourses.com

If you are interested in bringing the course onsite, or would like to suggest a location or date for another public offering, please send an email to info@isothermtech.com. Online votes received so far indicate Boston, Northern CA, Las Vegas, and Austin as potential public course locations.

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Material Properties Online Database

2008-12-07T14:27:00.005-05:00

MatWeb is a searchable database of material properties. Data sheets are available for thermoplastic & thermoset polymers, metals, ceramics, semiconductors, fibers and other engineering materials. In addition to searching by material, trade name, or manufacturer, the database can be queried for a particular property within a defined range (e.g. thermal conductivity between 100 and 1000 W/m-K). General access is free, and advanced search capabilities are available by registering your email address. Check it out at: MatWeb Material Property Data

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State Rankings for the New Economy

2008-12-07T12:25:00.009-05:00

The 2008 State New Economy Index has been released and provides an assessment of the critical factors for success in the new economy. States are ranked on a collection indicators that are categorized into five main areas: knowledge jobs, globalization, economic dynamism, digital economy, and innovation capacity. The top ten states in the overall index are MA, WA, MD, DE, NJ, CT, VA, CA, NY, and CO. The full report can be downloaded at: 2008 State New Economy Index

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Heat Exchanger Online References

2008-12-07T11:37:00.008-05:00

For anyone interested in heat transfer and fluid flow in tubular heat exchangers, two excellent online references are available from Wolverine Tube Inc. These data books provide a detailed treatment of heat transfer and fluid flow research of practical interest to heat exchanger design engineers, manufacturers, and end users. The data books can be accessed directly at:

Wolverine Engineering Data Book III
Wolverine Engineering Data Book II

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Global R&D Expenditures

2008-12-07T11:14:00.007-05:00

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has released its latest edition of Science, Technology and Industry Outlook. The report shows that the overall rate of growth for R&D spending among OECD members has slowed from 4.6% between 1996 to 2001, to 2.5% since 2001. However, the distribution of R&D spending is shifting, with emerging economies such as China, India, Russia and South Africa showing large increases in R&D spending. The report can be accessed at: OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2008

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Excel Version Changes

2008-12-06T18:23:00.028-05:00

The latest version of Microsoft Excel has some significant changes to the user interface. The standard menu format and toolbars have been replaced by a tabbed "ribbon". Microsoft has made some downloads and interactive resources available to aid in finding commands in the new interface at: Guides to the Office 2007 User Interface

Macros written with the built-in Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) are also affected in some cases. VBA related changes to be aware of include:

The "Developer" option must be chosen to create VBA code and ActiveX controls
Add-ins are now accessed from the "Office" icon in the upper left corner
Some objects are no longer accessed with the same commands in VBA
Documents saved in Excel's 2007 default format cannot contain macros
Saving files in earlier version formats (e.g. Excel 2003) preserves any macros
Macros are also retained in the template format
Security settings are more stringent requiring greater user interaction to enable macros
VBA will not be ported to 64-bit processors
32-bit builds of the Office suite will include VBA and run on 64-bit processors.
The Macintosh 2008 version of Excel does not include VBA, although earlier versions do

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Excel/VBA Course Slots Open

2008-11-06T21:24:00.007-05:00

There are still some open slots available for the public offering of the 2-day short course "Thermal & Fluid Systems Modeling with Excel/VBA" scheduled for Nov 18-19, 2008 in Beltsville, MD. An index of topics covered in the course can be downloaded from: Isotherm Technologies:Resources

For more information, or to register for the course, visit:
http://www.aticourses.com/thermal_fluid_systems_modeling.htm.

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NIST Thermophysical Properties

2008-11-06T21:07:00.005-05:00

The National Institute of Standards & Technology maintains an interactive website for evaluating a wide range of thermophysical properties for many fluids. Multiple sets of input and output units are supported, and the selected data can be displayed in a plot or tabular form. The tabular data can be easily imported into other programs. Access the NIST Thermophysical Properties website at: http://webbook.nist.gov/chemistry/fluid/

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Fluid Mechanics Online Resource

2008-11-06T20:48:00.006-05:00

Interactive fluid flow calculators, images and videos can be found at the eFluids website. This portal aims to be a one-stop fluids resource center, and appears to be well on its way to meeting that goal. The list of contributors and supporting organizations is impressively diverse. Check it out at: http://www.efluids.com/

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Angel Funding Misconceptions

2008-11-06T10:26:00.007-05:00

A recent SBA sponsored report finds that the total capital market of angel investments is smaller than previous estimates, and that most investments aren't in high growth start-ups. From the report findings:

"The angel capital market is smaller than is generally believed. Few companies are appropriate for angel financing, a fact that limits demand for this source of financing. Angel investments are smaller and less sophisticated and include more debt than is commonly thought. And the companies that receive angel financing are more similar to typical startups."

The full report can be downloaded at: http://www.sba.gov/advo/research/rs331tot.pdf

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Thermal Model Post Processing with Excel

2008-11-04T20:06:00.009-05:00

Hume Peabody has offered to share his paper on using Excel for post processing thermal model results. An excerpt from the paper's abstract:

"...Combinations of relatively few Excel functions allow a user to quickly look up data (heat loads, temperature, capacitances, etc.) for nodes or groups of nodes. A simple task using basic commands is introduced and further functionality is added through subsequent examples in the paper. Additional “tips and tricks” are also discussed, including Visual Basic macros and adding text information to images..."

The complete paper can be downloaded at: Isotherm Technologies: Resources

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Collaborative Innovation Online

2008-10-12T16:53:00.005-04:00

InnoCentive.com has established an online innovation marketplace that connects innovation "Seekers" (companies, nonprofits, government, and other organizations) with innovation "Solvers" (individuals, businesses, and other technology developers). Open innovation challenges carry cash awards up to $1M. Check it out at: http://innocentive.com

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Excel/VBA Thermal & Fluid Course

2008-10-12T16:49:00.009-04:00

A public offering of the short course "Thermal & Fluid Systems Modeling with Excel/VBA" is scheduled for Nov 18-19, 2008 in Beltsville, MD. The course covers principles and practices for creating integrated models using Excel and its built-in programming environment, Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). Participants will acquire the knowledge and methods to create custom thermal & fluid system models for analyzing conceptual designs, performing system trades, simulating performance, and optimizing system performance with Excel/VBA. For more information, or to register for the course, visit: http://www.aticourses.com/thermal_fluid_systems_modeling.htm.

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Classic Fluid Dynamics Videos

2008-10-11T17:24:00.011-04:00

MIT has made a collection of classic fluid dynamic films available for viewing online. These films provide visual insight into the behavior of various types of fluid flows. Both a unique learning tool and a collection of historical gems, the films can be accessed at: http://web.mit.edu/hml/ncfmf.html. Note: Realplayer is needed to view the videos and can be downloaded from http://www.real.com/player. (Look in the upper right hand corner for the free version)

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Heat Transfer Textbook - Free Download

2008-10-11T17:01:00.009-04:00

Professors John H. Lienhard IV (University of Houston) and John H. Lienhard V (MIT) have made the third edition of their book "A Heat Transfer Textbook" available for free download. This is a senior-level text on heat and mass transfer, and a valuable reference for the engineering community. To download the book, visit:
http://web.mit.edu/lienhard/www/ahtt.html

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