Scientists unveil new cooling tech for notebooks

Researchers in America from the University of Washington and a company called Tessera are working to commercialize a new cooling technology for notebook computers and other small form factor electronic devices. The new cooling technology uses ions to create airflow to cool the hot internal components of a computer.

According to MIT Review, the technology involves an ionic cooler that sits near a vent on a notebook. The cooler is made up of an emitter electrode and a collector electrode that passes air over a series of heat pipes that directly remove heat from the notebook internals. As an electrical current is applied between the electrodes, ions flow from the emitter to the collector and push neutral air molecules along with them creating airflow.

The researchers claim that the ionic-cooling process is capable of extracting 30% more heat from a processor inside a notebook than a traditional fan can extract while using about half as much power as the fan. Using less power means that the notebook can run longer on a charge.

One early challenge was to devise a power source for the electrodes that could turn a notebook's 12V DC power supply into the 3,000 volts needed to power the electrodes. The researchers were able to build the power supply using a power supply form a cold cathode fluorescent lamp. The next hurdle is to make the cooling system resistant to dust and to find materials for the electrodes that will allow them to last the 30,000 hours expected from a notebook computer.

Officials from Tessera, who licenses the technology from the University of Washington, expect the technology to begin commercialization next year.