Cold Plates – The Ultimate Guide

01 — What is the problem?

A cold plate (also called cooling plate or liquid cold plate) is a metallic plate with a fluid circulating inside. The fluid drains heat from the components mounted on the cold plate, transferring it outside of the system. Cold plates are used for thermal management in high-performance computing, power electronics, EV batteries, data centers, and medical or laser equipment — whenever heat transfer by air alone is not sufficient. Liquid cooling achieves heat transfer coefficients of 100 to 20,000 W/m².K, compared to only 25 to 250 W/m².K for air.

02 — Why does it happen?

• Heat power density is too high for air cooling in compact enclosures
• Miniaturization increases the quantity of heat to dissipate in smaller volumes
• Sealed enclosures prevent natural or forced air convection
• High-power components (CPUs, GPUs, power semiconductors, batteries) generate concentrated heat loads
• Operating temperature requirements demand precise thermal control (e.g., batteries in EVs)

03 — Consequences

• Component overheating and thermal throttling without adequate liquid cooling
• Reduced system reliability and shortened component lifespan
• Thermal runaway risk in batteries and power electronics
• Performance degradation in data centers and computing systems
• Increased energy consumption from oversized air cooling solutions

04 — Common mistakes

• ✗Undersizing the pump or heat exchanger for the required thermal load
• ✗Ignoring fluid compatibility with cold plate materials (corrosion risk)
• ✗Neglecting the decompression tank — fluid volume changes with temperature
• ✗Using water in sub-zero environments without glycol mixture
• ✗Poor thermal interface between components and the cold plate surface
• ✗Not accounting for pressure drop through the cold plate channels

05 — Possible solutions

• ✓Tube laminated cold plates: copper tubes laminated on CNC-machined aluminium plates with epoxy resin — most economical for standard applications
• ✓Drilled cold plates: metal sheet drilled for fluid circulation — low manufacturing cost, no tooling required, but higher pressure loss and dead zones
• ✓Friction Stir Welding (FSW): two aluminium parts welded without filler material — lighter, waterproof, excellent thermal shock resistance
• ✓Choose materials wisely: aluminium (AL6061/AL6063) for cost and conductivity, copper tubes for maximum thermal performance, brass connectors for CNC machining
• ✓Select cooling fluid based on temperature range: water (5–90°C), glycol/water mixtures for sub-zero applications, dielectric fluids for specific requirements
• ✓Implement quality control: ultrasonic tube thickness measurement, leak testing, microscope tube inspection, flow and thermal testing

06 — Related topics