System and method for maintaining efficiency of a heat sink
AssigneeFractal Heatsink Technologies LLC
InventorAlexander I Poltorak
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A heatsink comprising a heat exchange device having a plurality of heat exchange elements each having a surface boundary with respect to a heat transfer fluid, having successive elements or regions having varying size scales. According to one embodiment, an accumulation of dust or particles on a surface of the heatsink is reduced by a removal mechanism. The mechanism can be thermal pyrolysis, vibration, blowing, etc. In the case of vibration, adverse effects on the system to be cooled may be minimized by an active or passive vibration suppression system.
Claims20
A heatsink, comprising:
- a base structure configured to interface with a heat source;
- and
- a heat exchange device configured to:
- receive heat from the base structure, and
- emit the received heat from a heat exchange surface of a plurality of heat exchange elements, into an external surrounding heat exchange medium,
- wherein the heat exchange surface comprises a plurality of branched heat exchange elements having a plurality of resonant frequencies over a frequency range, and the branched heat exchange elements are configured to induce a turbulence pattern that changes over time in a flow of the heat transfer medium.
A method of dissipating heat from a heat source, comprising:
- transferring heat from the heat source through an interface to a heatsink;
- conducting heat within a body of the heatsink to heat exchange surfaces of a plurality of branched heat exchange elements, into an external surrounding heat exchange medium;
- the heatsink having a plurality of resonant frequencies over a frequency range;
- and
- inducing a turbulence pattern that changes over time in a flow of the heat transfer medium over the heat exchange medium.
A heat dissipation system, comprising:
- a heat source;
- a heat sink comprising a plurality of branched heat exchange elements having heat exchange surfaces extending into an external surrounding heat exchange medium configured to emit the received heat from the heat exchange surfaces into the external surrounding heat exchange medium and induce a turbulence pattern that changes over time in a flow of the heat transfer medium, having a plurality of resonant frequencies over a frequency range;
- and
- an interface between the heat source and the heat sink, configured to conduct heat from the heat source to the heat sink.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.