Active Heat Sink Technology

Thermacore participated in this program.

Active heat sink technology.

A fan inside the computer moves air across the heat sink and out the computer. A heat sink also commonly spelled heatsink is a passive heat exchanger that transfers the heat generated by an electronic or a mechanical device to a fluid medium often air or a liquid coolant where it is dissipated away from the device thereby allowing regulation of the device s temperature. One ahst approach to enhancing current air cooled heat sink technology involves a blend of existing thermal heat sink solutions with targeted enhancements to improve the efficiency of air movement see fig. Active heat sinks are often used in conjunction with passive heat sinks.

Most computers also have an additional fan installed directly above the heat sink to help properly cool the processor. The ahst designers are proposing a modular micro cooling system combining heat pipe. The heat sink products reflect advances in the development and commercialization of active heat sink technologies achieved as part of the darpa micro technologies for air cooled exchangers mace program. Heat sinks with these additional fans are called active heat sinks while those with the single fan are called passive heat sinks.

Developments in active heat sink technology. These components are so ubiquitous that they re easy to overlook even by those who are familiar with the technology. Heat sinks are one of the most common forms of thermal management in technology machinery and even in natural systems.