Industrial Applications of Carbon and Graphite for Thermal Management

Richard Beyerle, Nathanael May, Ryan Paul, GrafTech International, OH, USA

At GrafTech International, engineers develop carbon and graphite products for applications from consumer electronics to industrial induction furnaces. Mathematical modeling is used to better understand and optimize the electrical, structural, and thermal performance of carbon and graphite in a particular application.

At GrafTech, simulation apps extend the power of numerical simulation to sales engineers, field specialists, and customers. One GrafTech app allows users to compare heat transfer among graphite foils. By simulating graphite, engineers further develop their understanding of the mechanisms and theory underlying the processes — beyond experimental data. The app is deployed with a local installation of COMSOL Server™.

Flexible graphite foil heat spreaders enable dissipation of heat from an electronic component with high in-plane conductivity, while protecting underlying heat-sensitive areas with low through-plane conductivity. Photo courtesy of GrafTech International.

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