Sandia cooler - next gen cpu cooling

Sandia Natioanl Labretories has a team of designers working on a next gen cpu cooler. Using impeller fan with an air bearing. Looks interesting.
mxxconsays...

This does not make sense...
So this spinning "impeller fan" is the actual heatsink..but how does it work if it's hovering on an "air bearing"? Isn't air a really bad heat conductor?
This does not make sense...

AeroMechanicalsays...

I was kind of wondering that myself, and I'm surprised they didn't even give any even very rough performance estimates--just a lot of hand-waving and theory that doesn't apply to the device as a whole. The only engineering aspect of any real significance is in the interface to the heat source and they don't discuss that at all aside from saying "you wouldn't think it would work but it does." I

Also, it makes a really, really annoying sound. The fact that it doesn't make that sound when you shut it off, and that they went out of their way to demonstrate that for some reason, doesn't really help.

If it really is some kind of breakthrough, that would be pretty cool though. I always welcome higher frame rates for my video games.

swedishfriendsays...

Also since things in our physical universe are not really solid but mostly space, how close is close enough to be considered contact? Maybe the air bearing is thinner then the size of the heat vibrations.

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