Standards specification for air flow-by cooling

6th November 2014

VITA

Barney Scott

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VITA announces that VITA 48.7 'Mechanical standard for electronic plug-in units using air flow-by cooling technology' has reached ANSI (American National Standards Institute) recognition as ANSI/VITA 48.7-2014. This specification has completed the VITA and ANSI processes reaching full recognition under guidance of the VITA Standards Organisation (VSO).

ANSI/VITA 48.7 defines a detailed mechanical implementation for air flow-by cooling and sealing technologies applied to plug-in modules, backplanes, and sub-racks as defined in VPX (ANSI/VITA 46) and VPX REDI (ANSI/VITA 48). The purpose of this specification is to define the critical dimensions for air flow-by plug-in units required to ensure the mechanical interchangeability of plug-in units. The specification also covers the critical sub-rack features and interfaces to ensure reliable and repeatable installation of air flow-by modules into an air flow-by subsystem.

Air flow-by overview:

Air flow-byutilises convection heat transfer to cool plug-in modules.
Plug-in module printed circuit board assemblies and backplanes are not exposed to the cooling air.
The plug-in modules printed circuit board assemblies are sealed within heat exchanging covers.
A plate with apertures for the backplane connectors is installed over the backplane. This plate provides a means to seal the plug-in modules around the backplane connectors and provides additional stiffness for the backplane.

Copies of the specification are available for purchase at the VITA Online Shop.

“We are pleased that air flow-by has received VITA/ANSI recognition,” said Paul Zuidema, Mechanical Engineering Manager, Mercury Systems, Chairman, VITA 48.7 Working Group. “To meet new complex ISR mission requirements, defence prime contractors are demanding powerful, low-SWaP processing capability. Air flow-by fulfils these needs by reliably and efficiently removing more heat than ever before, enabling defence primes to deploy processing-dense solutions such as rugged cloud capability, right at the tactical edge.”