I read about this in a company newsletter. It could be interesting to folks experimenting with solar collection - though it's not about the typical flat-panel-on-your-roof installation. I'm also posting it to explore how members can use the newly designated
Reviews section, and to let folks know that there is such a product as thermally conductive adhesive. I'd always assumed this stuff was a thermal insulator.
If Admin is only interested in hearing about my own direct "personal" review of the product, then I would understand if they wanted to move this posting to a Diary or needed some other editing.
I've tried to find stuff like this before but always resorted to fasteners to hold things down while still gooping them up with thermally-conductive paste. If anyone has experience with this kind of material I'd be interested in hearing about the application it was used for. Is it expensive? Does it do what it promises? Does it actually bond parts together. Is 25 BTU-in/ft2-C a high value for thermal conductivity?
I was doing more research on the topic but tonight my ISP has repeatedly cut me off (dail-up) and I don't know how much time I have before this posting vanishes.
Here's a copy of the article.
THE QUESTION OF THE MONTH
Selected intriguing question received by our Technical Support Team
We received the following application:
We have developed a concentrator photovoltaic and hot water generating system. The system contains a line of parabolic concentrator troughs which focus light upwards onto a line of photovoltaic receivers. The receivers contain high quality single crystal solar cells. The problem we have is that the concentrated light generates heat while the cells work best at cooler temperatures. We would like to improve the thermal contact between the cells and the heat sink they are attached to. Would you have anything that we could use to bond aluminum to silicon that would serve this purpose? The normal operating temp range is 140°F to 160°F (60°C to 71°C), approx. 6 to 7 hours per day. Max temperature can reach 250°F (120°C) intermittently. Also there can be rapid and frequent thermal cycling when clouds appear causing the system to cool quite quickly.
Our Engineers suggested our Polymer Adhesive Supreme 11AOHT system. This formulation is thermally conductive, electrically isolating with high temperature resistance up 400°F (205°C) along with high shear and peal strength. It can cure at room temperature or more rapidly at elevated temperatures. It has excellent chemical resistance including water. It is the perfect solution when high bond strength and superior heat transfer properties are required.
