CoolSlot Card Guide Performance Measurements

Improve airflow distribution across high-density electronic boards by directing cooling air where it is needed most.

This white paper presents a controlled airflow comparison between ordinary card guides and CoolSlot® card guides in two 21-slot, 0.8-inch-pitch enclosures. Six airflow sensors were positioned across a 6U × 160 mm board, with 192 measurements collected at each probe for each enclosure.

The CoolSlot® configuration increased average airflow velocity across the board to 484.4 lfm, compared with 407.7 lfm using ordinary card guides. Testing also showed 45.9% higher average airflow velocities in typically under-ventilated edge regions, while center-region velocity decreased by an average of 16.7%. The result is a more balanced distribution of available cooling air across the board. Atrenne Whitepaper CoolSlot Car…

What you’ll learn

• How the airflow test was conducted: Review the 21-slot enclosure configuration, fan placement, sensor locations, and sampling methodology.
• Where conventional card guides leave cooling gaps: See how airflow varies across the front, center, and rear regions of a 6U board.
• How CoolSlot® redistributes airflow: Understand how aerodynamic card-guide geometry redirects air toward areas that otherwise receive less cooling.
• Measured performance differences: Compare ordinary and CoolSlot® card-guide airflow values across six sensor locations.
• Why airflow distribution matters: Learn why directing available air toward under-ventilated regions can provide a more useful cooling profile than concentrating airflow in already well-ventilated areas.

The PDF’s measurements support those claims directly, including the 484.4 vs. 407.7 lfm average and the redistribution toward the board-edge regions.