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A comment on The fanless spinning heatsink: more efficient, and immune to dust and detritus.

Re:The fanless spinning heatsink: more efficient, and immune... by dexen on Tuesday July 12, 2011 @10:58AM (#2754930)
There is one existing technology that could perhaps do away with the problem of the air gap (if that's a significant problem at all): heatpipe.

The good old heatpipe could extend from the stationary baseplate, as an axle/shaft of the impeller, well into the spinning part and here flange out internally. The seal/bearing would have to be quite gas-tight, but if that's achieved, heat transfer could be great.

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Re:The fanless spinning heatsink: more efficient, and immune... by sbierwagen on Tuesday July 12, 2011 @01:22PM (#2755524)
It would have to be gas tight, and resist a pressure differential. (HSF heatpipes contain water in a partial vacuum)

It must also not leak at all over the course of several years at elevated temperature, while spinning at several thousand RPM, or else the heat pipe will stop working.

It also must be cheap enough to compete commercially with a solid piece of metal.

The design constraints are... loosely possible. But it sure as hell won't be cheap.

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