WorldWide Drilling Resource

Northern Plains Chapter of the ISEE President: Ron Eastman Tel: 307-680-8805 www.npcisee.org 29 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® NOVEMBER 2013 Small: The Next Frontier by Britt Storkson Owner, P2FlowLLC People often cite outer space as the last frontier. While this is true in many ways, there is still a lot we have to learn about small. The science of small is called, in general terms, nanotechnol- ogy, with “nano” meaning “billionth” or 1/1,000,000,000. Many processes take place on a microscopic level, such as chemical reactions. The largest force driving small is cost, as most of the time smaller means cheaper because manufacturers can use less material to make their product. Smaller cars, for example, require less sheet metal, smaller wheels and tires, smaller engines, and just about smaller everything else. Nowhere is focus on the small more evident than the area of electronics. Pure silicon, the raw material for most elec- tronic parts today, is very expensive, and the smaller the silicon, the cheaper the part is. Some of the parts we use on our control units are so small a micro- scope is needed to see them. Sometimes, electronic parts need to be larger because they generate heat, and if heat is allowed to build up to harmful levels, the part will be destroyed. Often, larger parts have one flat metal side where the heat is routed to be dis- sipated into the air. Sometimes, heat- generating parts are mounted on a “heat sink” which is like a small radiator with fins that increase the surface area to cool the part. All semiconductors produce some heat...it’s just in many parts the heat dissipation is so small it’s not a problem. Heat is the result of electrical current (amperage) and resistance. The formula is amperage squared (amperage times itself) times resistance. So, if you have 2 amps traveling through a resistance of 10 ohms, the power dissipation will be 40 watts (2 x 2 x 10). Often, electronic parts carry very little current. So, while they do produce some heat, the heat is insignificant and one does not need to be concerned about moving it away from the part. Many times, heat-generating parts have “derating” curves...meaning the higher the ambient temperature the part is sub- jected to, the less heat can be dissipat- ed because there is so much external heat. The most common way to deal with this is to use a larger (and more expen- sive) part. Heat dissipation was one of the greatest challenges semiconductor de- velopers first faced. Most materials expand when heated and contract when cooled; so, much research went into making parts that would stand up to re- peated “thermal cycling”. With numerous improvements over the years, we now have electronic parts that can operate for years at a temper- ature too hot to touch. While this level of heat would suggest a problem with the equipment, it’s not a problem if the part is built to take it. We use some electronic parts rated for continuous operation at 392ºF (200ºC)! While nothing in this world is per- fect, electronic parts have been proven to be reliable in even the harshest con- ditions. Britt Britt Storkson may be contacted via e-mail at admin@ worldwidedrillingresource.com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