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Complex, high-powered electronics used on modern aircraft generate large amounts of heat, and the complexity and energy demands only grow with each new generation of electronics. Commensurate heat sinks capable of absorbing this load are the crucial element in an aircraft's thermal management system, and so the capacities of heat sinks must evolve with this electronics growth. This paper presents an industry survey of conventional heat sinks in current use and then introduces and discusses potential advances in heat sink technologies. These technologies show significant promise to increase the capacity of thermal management systems on future aircraft and thereby unlock the full performance of next generation electronics.

The escalation of vehicle operating costs due to continuously rising fuel prices has prompted aircraft designers to focus on more energy efficient designs. Among the heavy energy consumers in aircraft operations, the thermal management system is one of the largest. This is especially true of the refrigeration system powered by engine bleed air power. With the push towards more electric vehicles, an entirely new trade space has been opened up with regards to electric thermal management and the cost of bleed air versus electrical power. Despite favorable energy savings, the electric approach has increased the burden on the propulsion engine shaft power extraction systems (gearbox and drive train), electrical generators, power conditioning units, and electrical distribution systems. This paper presents potential architectures which utilize energy recovery and integration principles to address the challenges on the power generating system.