Analysis on LED street lamp cooling using electromagnetic fans

Thermal management plays an important role in increasing the efficiency and lifetime of Light Emitting Diode (LED). While active cooling solutions are generally effective in improving heat dissipation, in most cases, active cooling mechanisms such as rotary fans are not considered in outdoor applications due to reliability concerns [1]. In this paper, a thermal management solution for a LED street lamp that integrates one heat sink, two heat pipes and two electromagnetic fans (EMfans) is proposed. Comparing to other active cooling technology, EMfan may possibly be a reliable cooling technology for outdoor applications that has high efficiency, long lifetime and low power consumption. This paper will present the results of a series of thermal tests conducted on the cooling solution, including analyses on the pin temperature of the LEDs and thermal resistance of the heat sink. In addition, an ABAQUS simulation for estimating the fan frequency and a discussion of the reliability of the EMfan will also be presented.