Ionic Wind cooling technology to make laptops quieter

Posted on Sunday, January 07 2007 @ 8:56 CET by Thomas De Maesschalck
Kronos Advanced Technologies and the University of Washington developed a new ultra-thin silent cooling technology for processors.
The cooling technology under development by Kronos employs a device called an ionic wind pump (also known as an electrostatic fluid accelerator). The basic operating principle of an ionic wind pump is corona discharge, an electrical discharge near a charged conductor caused by the ionization of the surrounding fluid (air). The principle of ionic air propulsion with corona-generated charged particles has been known almost as long as electricity itself. One of the first references to sensing moving air near a charged tube appeared some 300 years ago in a book by Francis Hauksbee and many pioneers of electricity, including Newton, Faraday, and Maxwell, studied this phenomenon. In modern times, corona discharge was utilized in various ways and applied in the photocopying industry, in some air-conditioning systems, in nitrogen lasers, and most notably in air ionizers.
Check it out at The Future of Things. They say this technique may replace existing cooling in notebooks and other portable devices within two years, making them more reliable and more silent.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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