Liquid Metal Heatsink Cooling

[insoman]

Take a look at the future of CPU cooling....

http://www.danamics.com/danamics-lm10.aspx

I can't wait!

 

[dustin_ds3000]

wow i really really want one

 

[captaincranky]

Liquid Metal .....?

The only metal that I know of that is a liquid at or near room temperature is Mercury.

Mercury would present some interesting "concerns" if used in such a manner.

Is it possible that the "liquid metal" involved could actually be a liquid suspension of other metallic elements?

 

[insoman]

There are a number of different metals inside. Each one of them melts at a slightly different temp thereby removing a range of temps and diffusing. But they are actually metals.

 

[SNGX1275]

Gallium, Indium, and Tin can be used to create alloys that are liquid at or around room temps (depending on the percentages of each). I'm not sure why this is a good idea for a heat pipe setup though... I thought heat pipes used the liquid to gas phase change... None of these metals are going to go to gas at temps seen by processors. So I'm not sure how they are going to flow in the heat pipes. But then again I haven't read the Danamics' page yet.

Edit - ah, they use an electromagnetic pump..

 

[insoman]

In order to melt a metal you have to apply heat up to that metals given melting point, So by using the processor to melt the metal you have (sort of) removed that amount of heat from the processor. I THINK! (kind of like the liquid to gas) the process takes a lot of energy, in this case in the form of heat from the CPU. I read a list of the metals inside and the ones you mention look very familiar. I wish I had kept the link now. Plus metals as we know (like copper) are good at absorbing heat.
I think also that the magnetic pump is powered by the heat itself. Not sure on this one there is only a limited amount of knowledge out there.

Note I am NO scientist!!