Japanese electronics manufacturer Fujitsu has discovered an answer to heating problems that modern devices face, and it happens to be a miniaturised liquid cooling system. The loop heat pipe measures some 1mm in diameter, but the company claims that it will increase heat transfer in devices by as much as five times.
The thin loop heat pipe resembles any other liquid cooling system in that it is composed of an evaporator that absorbs heat from the source, and a condenser that evaporates the heat away. Fujitsu has not specified what kind of liquid coolant will be used in the system. The loop itself is constructed from layered copper sheets, each some 0.1mm thick.
Fujitsu claims that this system can be used for any mobile device because it is built using an etching process. Which means that the pipe layout and heat transfer can be used for just about any device.
It is difficult to see how something like this could be integrated into devices that continually strive to be the thinnest thing ever. However, smartphones aside, it could be an interesting solution for Ultrabooks and laptops that have been eschewing fans in favour of silent operation. Provided, of course, that it is capable of handling the increased heat output.
Fujitsu expects to have the thin loop heat pipe technology implemented in devices by 2017, which is a long way off by consumer electronics standards. We can think of at least one company that would love to have extra cooling in its devices.
[Source: Fujitsu]
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