Thermoelectric-powered convective cooling of microprocessors

Author

Yazawa, Kazuaki ; Solbrekken, Gary L. ; Bar-Cohen, Avram

Author_Institution

Mobile Network Co., Sony Corp., Shinagawa, Japan

Volume

28

Issue

2

fYear

2005

fDate

5/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

231

Lastpage

239

Abstract

Forced convection cooling of a personal computer microprocessor, using power generated by thermoelectric (TE) conversion, has been modeled, analyzed, and demonstrated. This study was motivated by the desire to meet the demanding cooling requirements of notebook computers without consuming valuable battery power. The modest power generated by the TE necessitated a careful match between the TE device and the fan/heat-sink sub-system. The models and methodology used to maximize the cooling capability of TE-powered convection are presented and experimentally validated using a notebook computer prototype. In the experimental study described herein, a commercial fan was successfully driven by electricity generated from the heat of the microprocessor. It was determined that, at a junction temperature of 95 °C, thermoelectric-powered cooling could perform nearly four times better than the best natural convection design.

Keywords

cooling; heat sinks; microprocessor chips; thermal management (packaging); thermoelectric conversion; 95 C; forced convection cooling; notebook computers; optimization; personal computer microprocessor; power regeneration; thermoelectric conversion; thermoelectric powered convective cooling; Cooling; Electric resistance; Heat sinks; Microprocessors; Packaging; Portable computers; Power generation; Tellurium; Temperature; Thermoelectricity; Energy efficient; heat sink; microprocessor; optimization; power regeneration; thermoelectric;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Advanced Packaging, IEEE Transactions on

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

1521-3323

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/TADVP.2005.846854

Filename

1427846