Stacked Base Heat Sink With In-Line Heat Pipes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional heat sinks face challenges in efficiently cooling high-power semiconductor devices due to increased energy use and thermal dissipation, particularly in communications networks, as they struggle to maintain effective cooling while preventing air pressure losses and ensuring adequate airflow.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of stacked base heat sinks with multiple bases and heat pipes, along with strategically positioned fins, enhances thermal performance by maximizing surface area contact with airflow and improving fin efficiency, allowing for effective heat dissipation through conduction and convection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If conventional heat sinks are used for high-power semiconductor devices, then cooling capability is limited, but air pressure losses increase and airflow becomes inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a conventional single-base heat sink to a stacked multi-base configuration, adding the vertical dimension to the heat sink structure. Multiple bases are stacked together with heat pipes connecting them, creating a three-dimensional thermal management system that increases cooling surface area and improves heat dissipation capability without proportionally increasing air pressure losses
Solution Approach 2:
The heat sink is divided into multiple separate base units stacked vertically, with each base containing its own fin array. This segmentation allows heat to be distributed across multiple independent thermal pathways through heat pipes, improving overall cooling efficiency while maintaining reasonable airflow characteristics
2Temperature
If heat pipes are added to improve thermal performance, then heat dissipation increases, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Heat pipes are integrated within the stacked base structure, with each heat pipe nested between bases and connecting them thermally. The heat pipes are positioned to run through the stack in a compact arrangement, transferring heat efficiently between bases while maintaining a space-efficient design that doesn't excessively increase overall device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
Heat pipes serve as intermediary thermal conduits between the stacked bases, efficiently transferring heat from one base to another. This intermediary mechanism enables improved thermal performance across the entire heat sink stack without requiring direct thermal contact between all bases, simplifying the overall thermal management architecture
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design improves thermal performance and energy efficiency, enabling cooling fans to operate at slower speeds while maintaining effective cooling, thus addressing the limitations of conventional heat sinks in high-power device cooling.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of heat pipes running between the lower base and the upper base on opposite sides of the heat sink
Implementation Method 2
improving fin efficiency, allowing for effective heat dissipation through conduction and convection
Implementation Method 3
allowing for effective heat dissipation through conduction and convection
Data Source
AI summary
In one embodiment, a heat sink includes a lower base, an upper base, a set of fins interposed between the lower base and the upper base, and a plurality of heat pipes running between the lower base and the upper base on opposite sides of the heat sink and in-line with an airflow direction through the set of fins. An apparatus comprising a plurality of the heat sinks is also disclosed herein.