Thermal management system
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A thermal management system comprising a heat source having an external surface and a thermal interface which comprises an anisotropic flexible graphite sheet formed by compressing exfoliated particles of natural graphite and having a planar area greater than the area of the external surface of the heat source, the flexible graphite sheet having first and second major planar surfaces and having axes of higher thermal conductivity parallel to said major planar surfaces, one of said major planar surfaces being in direct operative contact with the heat source.
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Abstract
The present invention relates to a system for managing the heat from a heat source like an electronic component. More particularly, the present invention relates to a system effective for dissipating the heat generated by an electronic component using a thermal management system that includes a thermal interface formed from a flexible graphite sheet and/or a heat sink formed from a graphite article.
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Citations
20 Claims
- 1. A thermal management system comprising a heat source having an external surface and a thermal interface which comprises an anisotropic flexible graphite sheet formed by compressing exfoliated particles of natural graphite and having a planar area greater than the area of the external surface of the heat source, the flexible graphite sheet having first and second major planar surfaces and having axes of higher thermal conductivity parallel to said major planar surfaces, one of said major planar surfaces being in direct operative contact with the heat source.
- 3. A thermal management system comprising a heat sink which comprises a graphite article shaped so as to provide a heat collection surface and at least one heat dissipation surface, and said system further comprising a thermal interface operatively connected to the heat sink, the thermal interface comprising an anisotropic flexible graphite sheet having two parallel planar surfaces extending in a direction parallel to the planar direction of the crystal structure of the graphite in the sheet, wherein arranging the heat collection surface of the graphite article in direct operative contact with one of said planar surfaces and arranging the other of said planar surfaces in direct operative contact with a heat source causes dissipation of heat from the heat source through the at least one heat dissipation surface of the graphite article.
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13. A thermal management system comprising:
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(a) a heat source which comprises an electronic component, the heat source having an external surface;
(b) a thermal interface comprising an anisotropic flexible graphite sheet having two parallel planar surfaces extending in a direction parallel to the planar direction of the crystal structure of the graphite in the sheet, a first of the planar surfaces of the thermal interface being in operative contact with the external surface of the heat source, wherein the planar area of the first planar surface of the thermal interface is greater than the area of the external surface of the heat source; and
(c) a heat sink which comprises a graphite article shaped so as to provide a heat collection surface and at least one heat dissipation surface, the heat collection surface of the heat sink being in operative contact with the second of the planar surfaces of the thermal interface. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification