Computer heat sinks, such as fin arrays and heat pipes, are much larger than silicon chips and are continuing to grow in size. This trend is driven by the increasing chip heat generation rates and has serious implications for overall system performance. The large volume of existing heat sinks causes discrete memory, video, and power-delivery components to be crowded away from … [Read more...]
Heat pipe fundamentals
The use of heat pipes in thermal management is increasing rapidly as power densities in electronics continue to rise. Heat pipes are attractive because they can typically carry 100 or more times as much heat as an equivalent piece of solid copper. The basic principle of heat pipe operation is very simple. A small amount of working fluid, typically water, is sealed inside a … [Read more...]