FRACTAL HEAT TRANSFER DEVICE

Abstract

A heat sink 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 a fractal variation therebetween, wherein the heat transfer fluid is induced to flow with respect to the plurality of fractally varying heat exchange elements such that flow-induced vortices are generated at non-corresponding locations of the plurality of fractally varying heat exchange elements, resulting in a reduced resonance as compared to a corresponding heat exchange device having a plurality of heat exchange elements that produce flow-induced vortices at corresponding locations on the plurality of heat exchange elements.

Claims

1. A heat sink comprising: a heat exchanger comprising a branched pattern of heat exchange elements, defining a plurality of concave regions configured for turbulent interaction with a flowable heat exchange medium; and a fan configured to induce the flow of the heat exchange medium and cause the turbulent interaction, wherein a peak acoustic frequency emission of the turbulent interaction of the flow of the heat exchange medium and respective ones of the plurality of concave regions is spread across an acoustic spectrum.

2. The heat sink according to claim 1, wherein the flow of the heat exchange medium is configured to generate flow-induced vortices at non-corresponding locations of respective ones of the plurality of heat exchange elements, resulting in a reduced spectral peak emission, as compared to a corresponding heat sink having a plurality of heat exchange elements that produce flow-induced vortices at corresponding locations of the respective ones of the plurality of heat exchange elements.

3. A heat sink comprising a heat exchanger comprising: a branched pattern of heat exchange elements, defining a plurality of external surfaces configured to induce turbulent interaction from a convective flow of a flowable heat exchange fluid, wherein a peak acoustic frequency emission of the turbulent interaction is spread across an acoustic spectrum dependent on the branched pattern.

4. The heat sink according to claim 3, wherein the turbulent interaction generates flow-induced vortices at non-corresponding locations of respective ones of the plurality of heat exchange elements.

5. The heat sink according to claim 3, wherein the branched pattern comprises at least three segments separated by at least two branch points.

6. The heat sink according to claim 5, wherein the convective flow inducing device is further configured to generate the flow of the flowable heat exchange medium to successively encounter at least two branch points of different branches.

7. The heat sink according to claim 3, wherein the heat exchanger is immersed in the flowable heat exchange fluid.

8. The heat sink according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of heat exchange elements have a fractal branching pattern.

9. The heat sink according to claim 3, wherein the flowable heat transfer medium interacts with the fractal branching pattern to induce a broadband acoustic emission.

10. The heat sink according to claim 3, wherein respective branches at a root level of branching of the branched pattern of heat exchange elements have different topologies.

11. The heat sink according to claim 10, wherein the different topologies are together defined by a fractal relationship.

12. The heat sink according to claim 10, wherein the external surfaces define a plurality of concave regions.

13. The heat sink according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of concave regions differ non-incrementally.

14. The heat sink according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of concave regions are configured to interact with the flow of the flowable heat exchange medium without producing narrow band acoustic resonance.

15. The heat sink according to claim 12, wherein the plurality of concave regions are configured to interact with the flow of the flowable heat exchange medium without producing self-sustaining narrowly tuned oscillations.

16. The heat sink according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of heat exchange elements branch in two dimensions.

17. The heat sink according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of heat exchange elements branch in three dimensions.

18. The heat sink according to claim 3, wherein the exchanger receives heat from an electronic device.

19. The heat sink according to claim 3, wherein the heat exchanger further comprises an internal microchannel within the plurality of heat exchange elements.

20. A heat sink comprising: a heat exchanger comprising a plurality of heat exchange elements organized in a branched pattern and being configured for turbulent interaction of a convective flow of a heat exchange medium with an exterior surface of the heat exchange elements; and wherein the turbulent interaction of the convective flow of a heat exchange medium with an exterior surface of the heat exchange elements occurs substantially without narrowband resonance.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0085] FIG. 1 shows a set of governing equations for a parallel plate heat sink.

[0086] FIG. 2 illustrates a fractal heat sink that is an exemplary embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the heat sink is placed adjacent to the object to be cooled.

[0087] FIG. 3 illustrates a fractal heat sink that is an exemplary embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the heat sink is placed either adjacent to or surrounding the object to be cooled.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0088] FIG. 2 illustrates a heat sink implementing an exemplary embodiment of this invention. Note that the illustration is in two dimensions, but a three-dimensional embodiment is both possible and preferred. There is a heat transfer surface 100 that allows the heat sink to rest comfortably on a surface, such as the solid to be cooled 190, through a connector not shown in FIG. 2. In the illustrated embodiment, the heat transfer surface 100 is roughly planar, having a closed Euclidian cross-section on the bottom. However, it might also have another shape, for example if the solid to be cooled does not have a planar face. A fractal-shaped heat exchange device 110 begins at point 111. While only one fractal heat sink is illustrated here, skilled persons in the art will recognize other similar fractal heat sinks that are also intended to be covered by the invention. Note that the heat sink has three branches leaving from point 111—branch 120, branch 140, and branch 160. Also note that the branch structure initiating from point 111 is nearly identical to that at point 122 and 142, even though only point 111 is a true starting point. Thus, the fractal property of self-similarity is preserved. We call the structure that begins at point 111 the “first motif,” the structure from point 122 the “second motif,” and the structure that begins from point 142 the “third motif.”

[0089] Note that, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, the replication from first to second motif and from second to third motif involves a linear displacement (upward) and a change of scale. In branches not going in the same direction as the prior branch, there is also a rotation. Under the limitations for ideal fractals, the second motif and third motif must be a smaller, exact copy of the first motif. However, due to the limitations imposed by human-made structures and machines, the fractals designed here are generally finite and the second motif will thus be an inexact copy of the first motif, i.e. if there are N levels starting from the first motif, the second motif level will have N−1 levels, if N is very large, the difference is insignificant. In other words, the self-similarity element required in fractals is not preserved perfectly in the preferred designs due to the limitations of available machinery. In addition, the benefits are achieved without requiring fractal relationships over more than a few “orders” of magnitude (iterations of the fractal recursive algorithm). For example, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, there are no continuing branch divisions and iterations at point 162, even though an ideal fractal would have them. In an ideal fractal, there would be an infinite number of sub-branches from 111, 122, and 142. However, an imperfect fractal shape, as illustrated in FIG. 2, will serve the purposes of this invention.

[0090] Persons of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate the advantages offered by the structure 110 in FIG. 2. The fractal heat sink has a much larger surface area than the heat transfer surface alone because all of the “branches” and “leaves” of the fern-like fractal shape serve to increase the surface area of their circumferential external surface boundary 112 with respect to a heat transfer fluid 113, such as by operation of a fan 102. In addition, if a heat transfer fluid is induced to flow above the heat transfer surface 100, the turbulent portions of the heat transfer fluid near the surface will be increased by the textures inherent in the fractal variation in the heat exchange structure 110. Because the fractal pattern is itself non-identically repeating within the fractal design, this will serve to substantially reduce narrow band acoustic resonance as compared to a corresponding heat exchange device having a repeating design, e.g., a linear or geometric variation between several heat exchange elements, thereby further aiding in the heat transfer process.

[0091] In a preferred embodiment, the heat transfer surface 100 and the roughly fractal-shaped heat exchange structure 110 are all made out of an efficient heat conductor, such as copper or aluminum, or more preferably, having a portion whose heat conductivity exceeds 850 W/(m*K), such as graphene with a heat conductivity of between 4840 and 5300 W/(m*K) or diamond with a heat conductivity between 900 and 2320 W/(m*K). This would allow heat to quickly enter the heat sink from the solid and for heat to quickly exit the heat sink through the branches and leaves of the fern-like fractal-shaped heat exchange structure 110. In another embodiment, the heat sink is formed, at least in part, of carbon nanotubes, which display anisotropic heat conduction, with an efficient heat transfer along the long axis of the tube. Carbon nanotubes are submicroscopic hollow tubes made of a chicken-wire-like or lattice of carbon atoms. These tubes have a diameter of just a few nanometers and are highly heat conductive, transferring heat much faster than diamond, and in some cases comparable to graphene. See web.mitedu/press/2010/thermopower-waves.html (last accessed Apr. 15, 2010) incorporated herein by reference.

[0092] Also note that this exemplary embodiment provides a plethora of openings, e.g. 124 and 126, between the branches or fractal subelements to ensure that all of the branches are exposed to the surrounding air, gas or liquid and to allow the heat to escape from the heat sink into the surroundings. In one embodiment of the invention, at least two of these openings are congruent, as are openings 124 and 126 illustrated here. An embodiment of the invention allows the openings to be filled with the air or liquid from the surrounding medium. Due to the limitation imposed by the solid's flat shape, it is not possible to increase the exposure of the fern-like fractal to the solid. However, the air or liquid outside of the solid are perfect for the fractal's exposure.

[0093] Under the phonon model of heat exchange, applicable to carbon nanotubes, graphene materials, and perhaps others, the fractal shape is advantageous to ensure the escape of the phonons into the surrounding fluid medium because the fractal guarantees close to maximal surface exposure to the medium and does not have many parts that are not exposed, as is a problem with many prior art heat sinks. Skilled persons in the art will realize that this could be achieved through many known structures. For example, graphene, which is one-atom-thick carbon and highly heat conductive, would be an advantageous material to use to build the fractal heat sink herein described.

[0094] When a turbulently flowing fluid passes around an obstacle, concave regions or cavities in the obstacle create pockets of separated flow which generates self-sustaining oscillations and acoustic resonance. The concave regions or cavities have substantially reduced narrow band acoustic resonance as compared to flat regions on the obstacle. This allows for more energy to be available for heat transfer. Skilled persons in the art will note that fractal structure 110, as many other fractal structures, has a plurality of concave regions to allow for an implementation of this effect.

[0095] FIG. 3 illustrates another embodiment of the invention. A solid to be cooled that has an arbitrary shape 290 is located inside (illustrated) or outside (not illustrated) a two-dimensional or three-dimensional roughly fractal shaped 210 heat sink. In one embodiment, the heat sink 210 has an aperture 270 designed to hold the solid. Alternatively, the solid to be cooled might be located outside of the heat sink (not illustrated). Note that, as in FIG. 2, the fractal heat exchange element has multiple motifs, starting with the large triangle at 210, to progressively smaller triangles at 220 and 230. However, note that the fractal does not keep extending infinitely and there are no triangles smaller than the one at 230. In other words, the fractal heat sink 210 has multiple recursive fractal iterations 220 and 230, but the fractal iterations stop at level 230 for simplicity of design and manufacturability. Also note that the fractal submotifs 220 and 230 are of different dimensional sizes from the original fractal motif 210 and protrude from the original fractal shape 210. Here, the first motif is a large triangle, and the latter motifs are smaller triangles, which involve a rotation, linear displacement, and change of scale of the prior motif. In one embodiment, the fractal shape has some apertures in it (not illustrated) to allow the solid to be cooled to connect with other elements. Also, the solid to be cooled is connected to the fractal shape at point connector 240 and through bus wires at 250 and 260. The solid should be connected to the fractal heat sink in at least one point, either through a point connection, a bus wire connection, or some other connection. If it is desired that the solid be fixed inside the heat sink, there may be at least three connection points, as illustrated. However, only one connection point is necessary for heat convection and radiation from the solid to the heat sink. Preferably, the point or bus wire connection is built using a strong heat conductor, such as carbon nanotubes or a diamond-like coating.

[0096] Note that, as in FIG. 1, the fractal structure 210 in FIG. 2 has multiple concave regions or cavities. When a turbulently flowing fluid passes around this fractal heat sink, the concave regions or cavities substantially reduce the narrow band acoustic resonance as compared to a flat or Euclidian structure. This allows for more energy to be available to for heat transfer.

[0097] In yet another embodiment of the invention, the heat sink 210 in FIG. 3 could be constructed without the connections at points 240, 250, and 260. In one embodiment, a liquid or gas would fill the aperture 270 with the intent that the liquid or gas surround the solid to be cooled, hold it in place, or suspend it. Preferably, the liquid or gas surrounding the solid would conduct heat from the solid to the heat sink, which would then cause the heat to exit.

[0098] Those skilled in the art will recognize many ways to fabricate the heat sinks described herein. For example, modern three-dimensional laser and liquid printers can create objects such as the heat sinks described herein with a resolution of features on the order of 16 μm. Also, it is possible to grow a crystal structure using a recursive growth algorithm or through crystal growth techniques. For example, US Patent Application No. 2006/0037177 by Blum, incorporated herein by reference, describes a method of controlling crystal growth to produce fractals or other structures through the use of spectral energy patterns by adjusting the temperature, pressure, and electromagnetic energy to which the crystal is exposed. This method might be used to fabricate the heat sinks described herein. For larger heat sinks, such as those intended to be used in car radiators, traditional manufacturing methods for large equipment can be adapted to create the fractal structures described herein.

[0099] In this disclosure, we have described several embodiments of this broad invention. Persons skilled in the art will definitely have other ideas as to how the teachings of this specification can be used. It is not our intent to limit this broad invention to the embodiments described in the specification. Rather, the invention is limited by the following claims.