ELE102 Analog Electronics

Unit 7 Transistor Power Rating

J C Luna
Hagerstown Community College
 Transistor Power Rating
The temperature at the collector
junction places a limit on the
allowable power dissipation PD.
Depending on the transistor type,
a junction temperature in the
range of 150 to 200°C will destroy
the transistor. Data sheets specify
this maximum junction
temperature as TJ(max). For
instance, the data sheet of a
2N3904 gives a TJ(max) of 150°C;
the data sheet of a 2N3719
specifies a TJ(max) of 200°C.
Ambient Temperature
The heat produced at the
junction passes through the
transistor case (metal or
plastic housing) and
radiates to the surrounding
air. The temperature of this
air, known as the ambient
temperature, is around
25°C, but it can get much
higher on hot days. Also,
the ambient temperature
may be much higher inside
a piece of electronic
equipment..
Derating Factor

Some data sheets do not give a derating curve like the

one in Fig. 10-34.
Instead, they list a derating factor D. For instance, the
derating factor D of a 2N1936 is 26.7 mW/°C.

Example: if the ambient temperature rises to 75°C, you

have to reduce the power rating by:

Since the power rating is 4 W at 25°C, the new power

rating is:
 Heat Sinks
If we increase the surface area of the transistor case, we allow the heat to escape more easily into the surrounding air. Look at Fig.
10-35a. When this type of heat sink is pushed on to the transistor case, heat radiates more quickly because of the increased
surface area of the fins.
Figure 10-35b shows the power-tab transistor. The metal tab provides a path out of the transistor for heat. This metal tab can be
fastened to the chassis of electronics equipment. Because the chassis is a massive heat sink, heat can easily escape from the
transistor to the chassis.
Large power transistors like Fig. 10-35c have the collector connected directly to the case to let heat escape as easily as possible.
The transistor case is then fastened to the chassis. The PIN diagram in Fig. 10-35c shows the transistor’s connections as viewed
from the bottom of the transistor. To prevent the collector load from shorting to the chassis ground, a thin insulating washer and a
thermal conductive paste are used between the transistor case and the chassis.
 Case Temperature
When heat flows out of a
transistor, it passes through the
case of the transistor and into the
heat sink, which then radiates the
heat into the surrounding air. The
temperature of the transistor case
TC will be slightly higher than the
temperature of the heat sink TS,
which in turn is slightly higher
than the ambient temperature TA.
The data sheets of large power
transistors give derating curves
for the case temperature rather
than the ambient temperature.
For instance, Fig. 10-36 shows
the derating curve of a 2N3055.
The power rating is 115 W at a
case temperature of 25°C; then it
decreases linearly with
temperature until it reaches zero
for a case temperature of 200°C.
Power Dissipation and Thermal
Resistance
Power Dissipation and Thermal Resistance. Example A 1
Power Dissipation and Thermal Resistance. Example A 2
Power Dissipation and Thermal Resistance. Example B 1
Power Dissipation and Thermal Resistance. Example B 2
Heat Sink – Forced Air Cooling 1

The graph for the device :593202B03500G shows that

Fan with 200 LFM has a thermal resistance of 5
Fan with 400 LFM has a thermal resistance of 3.5
Heat Sink – Forced Air Cooling 2

• Fans are commonly rated in CFM (cubic feet per minute) of airflow.
However, the parameter used to calculate the impact of forced air on a
heat sink rating is LFM (linear feet per minute). The following formula can
be used to convert CFM to LFM:

LFM = CFM / area (ft²)

Fans are often sized in millimeters, so to calculate area in square

feet, the size in millimeters needs to be converted to feet as follows:
1 millimeter = .00328 ft.
Heat Sink – Forced Air Cooling 3

• The following 2 tables summarize various CFM ratings converted to LFM

values for example fans sized in millimeters:
LFM = CFM / area (ft²)

Note: Fan CFM ratings are

normally based upon free air
delivery and zero back pressure.
Most applications will present
some degree of back pressure and
thus limit the net airflow to some
extent. Therefore, it is
recommended that the CFM rating
be multiplied by a correction factor,
typically 0.6 (60%) to 0.8 (80%) to
account for this restriction. Table 2
shows adjusted CFM values and
resulting LFM ratings based upon
the 80% correction factor.
Heat Sink – Forced Air Cooling 4

Adjusted CFM values and resulting LFM ratings based upon the 80% correction
factor. values for example fans sized in millimeters:
Heat Sink – Forced Air Cooling 5

• Once the fan’s LFM value is calculated, the improvement that it has on the
heat sink’s thermal impedance rating is calculated by multiplying a
correction factor per Table 3 below times the heat sink’s free air
convection thermal resistance rating.
 Heat Sink – Forced Air Cooling 6
• Using the Table 1, a 60mm, 15.9 CFM fan converts to 410 LFM.
The corrected LFM value from Table 2 for the same fan is 328.
To determine the effect of this fan on a heat sink’s thermal
impedance rating in °C/W, multiply the free air convection
rating of the heat sink by the correction factor of .439 ( Table 3.
correction factor for 300 LFM).
• For example, if the heat sink’s free air rating is 2.0 °C/W, the
forced air rating with this fan is approximately 0.88 °C/W, a
substantial increase in thermal efficiency (2*0.439=0.878).

x 0.8 • Note: the adjustment factors in Table 3 can be calculated more

precisely for LFM ratings which fall between the values listed in
the table by interpolation. The correction factor for 328 LFM is
actually .422 which would result in a thermal impedance in the
above example of 0.84 °C/W.

The Effect of Forced Air Cooling on Heat Sink Thermal Ratings

By Paul Bachman, Fellow Engineer
& Ronnie Haiduk, Applications Engineer,
Crydom, Inc.
References

• Electronic principles. Malvino et Al.

• Fundamentals of Analog Circuits. Floyd/Buchla