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DIY heat transfer paste for sensors

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Comments

  • ChrisJ
    ChrisJ Member Posts: 15,706
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    I thought most heatsink compounds were silicone grease and zinc oxide?
    Single pipe quasi-vapor system. Typical operating pressure 0.14 - 0.43 oz. EcoSteam ES-20 Advanced Control for Residential Steam boilers. Rectorseal Steamaster water treatment
  • JeffM
    JeffM Member Posts: 182
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    All the compounds that I have seen are white, which suggests zinc oxide to me.
    wyo
  • billyboy
    billyboy Member Posts: 152
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    Yes, but

    ZnO (zinc oxide) conducts heat only about 13% +- as well as copper

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4772549/

    "We found the thermal conductivity values of pure w-ZnO to be 44 W/mK and 62 W/mK along the [1000] and [0001] directions, respectively."

    Copper is listed at 401W/mK at other sources.
  • BobC
    BobC Member Posts: 5,478
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    The key to good thermal conductivity is excluding any air gaps, beyond that it's a matter of the uniformity of the transfer medium. Particulate size has to be small and uniform.

    Bob
    Smith G8-3 with EZ Gas @ 90,000 BTU, Single pipe steam
    Vaporstat with a 12oz cut-out and 4oz cut-in
    3PSI gauge