Custom Liquid Cold Plate for Efficient Cooling Solutions

04 Aug.,2025

 

Custom Liquid Cold Plate for Efficient Cooling Solutions

If you’ve ever wondered how powerful machines like computers stay cool even while working hard, the answer often lies in custom liquid cold plates. These handy devices play a crucial role in preventing overheating by efficiently cooling down high-power electronics. In this guide, we’ll break down what custom liquid cold plates are, how they work, and why they’re important. Let’s dive in!

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What Are Custom Liquid Cold Plates?

Custom liquid cold plates are cooling devices specially designed to manage the heat generated by electronic components. When electronics run, they create heat. If this heat isn’t removed, it can cause the device to malfunction or even break. That’s where custom liquid cold plates come in. They use liquid, like water or other coolants, to absorb the heat and carry it away from the components, keeping everything at the right temperature.

Each custom liquid cold plate is designed for a specific purpose. Whether it’s cooling a small processor in a computer or a vast system in an industrial machine, the design is tailored to meet the unique cooling needs of that system. That’s why they’re called “custom” liquid cold plates—because they’re made just for the job at hand!

How Do Custom Liquid Cold Plates Work?

Custom liquid cold plates work quite simply. Imagine a plate with tiny channels running through it. These channels carry coolant (which could be water or another liquid) through the plate. When the plate is attached to a heat-producing device, the heat is transferred from the device to the plate. The liquid coolant absorbs this heat and moves it away, lowering the device’s temperature.

Here’s a step-by-step look at how it works:

  1. Contact with Heat Source: The custom liquid cold plate is placed directly on or near the heat source (e.g., an electronic chip).
  2. Heat Transfer: The heat from the source moves into the cold plate.
  3. Coolant Flow: Coolant flows through the plate’s channels, absorbing the heat.
  4. Heat Removal: The heated coolant leaves the cold plate, taking the heat away from the system, and cooler liquid flows in to continue the process.

This cycle repeats continuously, ensuring the device stays cool and operates smoothly.

Why Are Custom Liquid Cold Plates Important?

Custom liquid cold plates are crucial for keeping high-performance electronics safe and efficient. Devices like electric vehicle batteries, laser systems, and even medical equipment rely on these cooling systems. Without liquid cold plates, these machines could overheat, leading to severe damage, loss of performance, or even safety hazards.

The beauty of custom liquid cold plates lies in their flexibility. They can be designed to fit any shape, size, or cooling need. Here are a few reasons why they are so important:

  • Efficient Heat Removal: Liquid cooling is much more efficient than air cooling, especially for devices that produce a lot of heat. Custom liquid cold plates are designed to optimize this cooling process.
  • Precise Temperature Control: Custom liquid cold plates can be tailored to maintain particular temperature ranges, which is vital for sensitive electronics.
  • Durability: These cold plates are built to last, providing reliable performance for years, even under harsh conditions.

How Are Custom Liquid Cold Plates Made?

The process of making custom liquid cold plates involves advanced techniques to ensure they meet the high-performance needs of different industries. Pioneer Thermal, a leader in this field, uses a variety of methods to create top-notch custom liquid cold plates. Here’s a glimpse of the process:

  1. Design Phase: The first step is designing the plate to fit the specific application. Pioneer Thermal uses advanced tools like Icepak and CAD to design both the thermal and structural elements of the cold plates.
  2. Welding Techniques: Different welding methods are used, such as high-frequency welding, flame welding, and friction stir welding. These techniques ensure that the cold plate is solid and leak-proof, which is critical for efficient heat transfer.
  3. Testing: Every custom liquid cold plate undergoes strict testing to make sure it performs perfectly. At Pioneer Thermal, they use sophisticated testing equipment like helium and nitrogen testers to check for leaks, and specialized flow resistance testers to ensure the stability of the product’s flow channels.
  4. Quality Control: From start to finish, the production process is controlled to guarantee quality. Pioneer Thermal even performs final checks such as leak tests, flow channel cleaning, and performance tests before sending out the product.

What Industries Use Custom Liquid Cold Plates?

Many industries benefit from custom liquid cold plates because of their versatility and effectiveness. Some of the main industries that rely on these cooling systems include:

  • Electric Vehicles (EVs): EV batteries generate a lot of heat, especially during long drives. Custom liquid cold plates help keep these batteries cool, ensuring they work efficiently and safely.
  • Medical Equipment: High-tech medical machines, like MRI scanners, need to stay cool to function accurately. Custom liquid cold plates are often used in these devices to prevent overheating.
  • Renewable Energy: Solar panels and wind turbines often use custom liquid cold plates to keep their systems running smoothly by controlling their internal temperature.
  • Aerospace and Defense: Aircraft, satellites, and other high-tech defense equipment rely on these cold plates for their cooling needs, ensuring top performance under extreme conditions.

The Benefits of Using Custom Liquid Cold Plates

Custom liquid cold plates offer a range of benefits that make them an ideal cooling solution for many industries. Some of these benefits include:

  • Higher Efficiency: Liquid cooling is generally more efficient than air cooling, and custom designs allow for maximum efficiency for specific applications.
  • Space-Saving: Because custom liquid cold plates can be made to fit the exact needs of the system, they take up less space than traditional air-cooling solutions like fans.
  • Noise Reduction: Fans can be noisy, significantly, when cooling large systems. Liquid cold plates are much quieter, which is a big plus for environments where noise is a concern.

Conclusion: Why Choose Pioneer Thermal?

Now that you understand how custom liquid cold plates work and why they’re so important, you might be wondering where to find the best ones. That’s where Pioneer Thermal comes in!

As a leading provider of liquid cold plates, Pioneer Thermal offers cutting-edge solutions for all your cooling needs. With over 3,000 projects completed and more than 22 million parts produced, Pioneer Thermal has the experience and expertise you can trust. We use state-of-the-art equipment, including high-precision machining centers and advanced welding processes, to create custom liquid cold plates that are efficient, reliable, and durable.

At Pioneer Thermal, we are committed to quality. Our rigorous inspection processes ensure that every cold plate meets the highest standards. From design to final production, we offer personalized services to create custom liquid cold plates that meet your exact specifications.

If you need a reliable cooling solution for your high-power electronics, look no further than Pioneer Thermal. We guarantee fast lead times, competitive pricing, and exceptional customer service. Contact us today to learn more about our products and how we can help you stay cool under pressure!

Types Of Chillers: A Guide To Industrial Cooling Systems

What Are Commercial Chillers Used for?

Commercial or industrial chillers are intricate systems that cool equipment and spaces to prevent overheating and maintain required temperatures for optimal operational efficiency. Different types of chillers use water or air to transfer heat where climate control or process cooling is necessary.

Industrial chiller units are crucial for various applications. High-quality chillers provide businesses with greater operational efficiency, decreased cooling costs and reduced equipment downtime. Choosing the right type of chiller ensures efficient cooling for applications such as:

  • Medical equipment
  • Entertainment sets
  • Plastic processing
  • Waterjet cooling
  • Ice rink temperature consistency
  • Food and beverage cooling
  • Industrial laser chilling
  • Chemical processing

Different Types of Chillers in HVAC

Several types of chillers differ in their design, operation and benefits. Before choosing a chiller for your equipment, consider the following types:

1. Water-Cooled Chillers

A water-cooled chiller pulls water into an evaporator through a primary return. The evaporator transfers heat from the water to a refrigerant, chilling the water before sending it through the primary supply to the system’s water tank. A water pump then distributes chilled water to climate-controlled spaces.

As the chilled water flows through each space and reaches the air handler, it absorbs ambient heat. The second law of thermodynamics, which states that heat naturally flows from higher-temperature regions to lower-temperature regions, makes this heat transfer possible.

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If this is an air conditioning application, after the heat transfers to the chilled water, the air inside the air handler cools down. A fan forces the air through ductwork and into each space, cooling the equipment’s climate-controlled areas. When the warm water returns to the system’s chiller, it cools again and repeats the process.

In order for the refrigerant to absorb more heat from the water in each cycle, it must transfer the heat it absorbed during the previous cycle. The evaporator moves the heated, low-pressure refrigerant to a motor-operated compressor. The compressor increases the temperature and pressure before sending the refrigerant to the condenser.

Inside the shell & tube condenser, the water surrounding the refrigerant pipes absorbs heat from the refrigerant. The water inside the condenser is pumped to a cooling tower where it releases its absorbed heat. As the refrigerant continues through its cycle, an expansion valve (much like a water spray bottle nozzle) reduces the refrigerant’s temperature and pressure as it flows through on its way back to the evaporator where it restarts the process.

Water-cooled chillers provide the following benefits:

  • Increased efficiency: Water transfers heat more effectively than air, so water-cooled chillers operate more efficiently than air-cooled chillers.
  • Greater consistency: Water’s ability to transfer heat more effectively than air allows water-cooled chillers to operate more consistently.
  • Longevity: Water-cooled chillers typically last longer than air-cooled systems.
  • Requires water treatment: The Cooling Tower on a water cooled chiller system requires water treatment, filtration, and continuous water make-up.

2. Air-Cooled Chillers

An air-cooled chiller operates similarly to a water-cooled chiller. The only difference between and Air Cooled & Water Cooled chiller is in the condenser section of the units. And air cooled chiller utilizes an air-over condenser coil to remove heat from the refrigerant while the water cooled chiller uses a water to refrigerant condenser coil. The way each chiller removes heat from the process remains the same.

The refrigerant then increases its temperature and pressure by moving through the compressor until it reaches the condenser where outside air circulates from a fan. The condenser absorbs the refrigerant’s heat and expels it into the surrounding air. Finally, the refrigerant returns to the evaporator through the expansion valve to begin the process again.

Air-cooled chillers offer the following benefits:

  • Low maintenance costs: Air-cooled chillers typically have low maintenance costs.
  • More compact: Because air-cooled chillers lack the water tower and pump that water-cooled chillers contain, they take up less space.

3. Scroll Chillers

A scroll chiller compresses refrigerant using a scroll compressor. It contains a stationary scroll plate and an orbiting scroll plate, which rotates around the stationary component and compresses the refrigerant to raise its temperature and pressure (Link: https://youtu.be/yNgqI4XPUZc). This process prepares the refrigerant for the rest of the cooling process.

Scroll chillers have the following benefits:

  • Smooth operation: Scroll compressors contain fewer moving parts and produce less torque variation, allowing scroll chillers to operate more quietly and smoothly than other chillers.
  • Efficiency: Scroll chillers can output more cooling per energy unit than other chiller systems, making them a highly efficient option.
  • VFD options: Newer models offer scroll compressors with a built-in variable frequency drive for variable speed control.

It’s best to avoid choosing a tandem scroll compressor chiller unit. It’s much better to choose a scroll compressor that applies a single compressor to each refrigeration circuit — this eliminates the risk of burnouts damaging multiple compressors.

You can choose between industrial air-cooled scroll chillers, air-cooled portable scroll chillers and water-cooled portable scroll chillers for your applications.

4. Screw Chillers

When it comes to a scroll vs. a screw compressor, it’s important to note that screw compressors handle larger capacities than scroll compressors. While scroll chiller tonnages vary between 2 and 140 tons (60HP maximum single compressor size), screw chillers vary between 30 and 400 or more tons. The main difference between screw and scroll chillers is that screw chillers use one or two rotating screws to apply force and compress refrigerant. Screw compressors are most commonly found in industrial process and petrochemical applications.

5. Explosion-Proof Chillers

Some industrial machinery is susceptible to explosions, requiring industrial explosion-proof chillers to maintain safety. Explosion-proof chillers are manufactured with a reinforced, specialized design and contain features that protect their components from flammable materials. This design prevents potential explosions to protect employees, equipment and facilities.

Few air-cooled chiller manufacturers have the expertise to provide reliable explosion-proof chillers. If your equipment operates in hazardous conditions, it’s crucial to select an explosion-proof chiller from a reputable manufacturer that follows National Fire Protection Agency standards and codes.

6. Low-Temperature Chillers

Some industrial operating conditions require the leaving fluid temperature to remain below 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Low-temperature chillers ensure equipment operates efficiently for applications such as petrochemical processes and ice rink cooling that require low leaving fluid temperatures. Some units can run down to as low as -40 degrees F leaving fluid temperature. At these conditions, special heat transfer fluid is required.

7. Glycol Chillers

An industrial glycol chiller features a reliable digital temperature controller. This controller makes it possible to maintain ideal temperatures for food and drink products. Wineries and breweries often use glycol chillers for this reason.

Contact Us Today for High-Quality Industrial Chillers

Whether you need a water-cooled, air-cooled, scroll, screw, explosion-proof, low-temperature or glycol chiller, Smart Family of Cooling Products can provide a solution for your processes. We customize and manufacture cooling systems to meet each application’s specifications. Our unique expertise allows us to provide experienced consultation and manufacture long-lasting, efficient chillers for each industry.

Contact us to learn more or request a chiller quote today.

Are you interested in learning more about Evaporative Condenser? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!