What’s the biggest gripe consumers have these days when it comes to electronics? Think about laptops and I’m sure the answer will come to you quickly: it’s the heat. As I’m writing this post my lap is being burnt to a crisp. Would you ever think that steam could help cool things off? I wouldn’t have thought it possible until I caught wind of Celsia’s NanoSpreader, which is part of a new line of components that Celsia claims will cool off hotspots in computers and LED light fixtures. Is it really that much better than the heat pipes and fans out in the market now?
What happens in the NanoSpreader seems fairly simple, but I’m no rocket scientist. The exterior consists of a copper sleeve and the interior is made up of a series of vacuum-sealed chambers and channels that contain small amounts of H2O. As soon as the heat hits the outer sleeve the water turns to steam and transfers the heat to a component such as a heat sink, which then dissipates cooling off your rig. It’s also worth noting that Celsia’s components are much smaller so it won’t be too long before we see them in ultralight portables. They may be more expensive, but fewer parts make them cost-neutral, according to Celsia. No word on when it’ll be released or how much it will be.
Using steam to cool computers [News.com.com]