congatec has shown its heatpipe cooling system for Computer-on-Module (COMs) for the first time, writes Nick Flaherty.

The cooling system uses acetone as a working fluid in the heat pipes instead of water to cool processors used in autonomous and conventional vehicles that are exposed to extreme conditions, such as logistics vehicles in ports, airports, and cold stores.

This allows COM modules with the latest Intel processors with accelerators for artificial intelligence frameworks to be used in more extreme climatic and mechanical conditions, such as arctic temperatures.

The heatpipe system is a more cost effective approach for cooling COM-based designs than water cooling. Using acetone prevents the thermal transfer medium from freezing at extreme sub-zero temperatures and prevents damage to the cooling system, the module, and the entire system design and provides operation within a temperature range of -40 to +85 C.

Using heatpipes means the cooling system is also insensitive to mechanical stresses such as shock and vibration. 

“Our acetone-based cooling solution extends module-based designs to include applications under extreme operating conditions that could not previously be achieved with conventional cooling solutions. Using our application-ready COMs instead of expensive slot or special solutions allows developers to optimize time-to-market while reducing development effort and the overall costs of their applications,” said Jürgen Jungbauer, senior product line manager at congatec.

The heatpipe cooling system can be paired with the COM Type6 conga-TC675 or conga-TC675r with the Intel Raptor Lake processor, but it can also be used with the COM-HPC Mini and Client form factors as well as COM-HPC Server for robust edge servers.