QuantaCool Corporation

Advanced Thermal Management Solutions

Technology

QuantaCool is developing cooling technology that can maintain device/heat sink interface temperatures below 100 degrees C at heat fluxes in excess of 500 watts/cm² (click here for example). 

The systems use very compact high-flux heat absorbers (see gallery) relying on phase-change principles to remove and dissipate large quantities of heat from compact devices, which is passively rejected to ambient cooling media.   The working fluids are safe, environmentally benign, and electrically non-conductive. 

QuantaCool's MHP^TM technology is well-suited for the passive cooling of high-intensity heat sources, such as concentrating solar energy systems, power electronics, computer and graphics processors, high-power light sources, and highly radioactive materials. Potential applications include  reduced energy usage for data centers; higher-efficiency and lower-cost solar power; more compact and reliable aerospace and military electronics; high-power lasers; and more secure storage of nuclear wastes.

We have several patents pending, as well as proprietary device designs.   We will be happy to disclose relevant information with interested parties under confidentiality agreements. 

Super-Efficient Cooling

The MHP concept is a quantum improvement over conventional cooling technologies.  Microchannel heat exchangers are known for their outstanding heat transfer , and pumped-liquid microchannel systems are considered state-of-the-art for cooling concentrated heat sources. In general, evaporation is more efficient than pumped-liquid cooling; indeed, laboratory studies of boiling in microchannels have the highest documented heat transfer coefficients. MHP melds microchannel technology with the passive evaporative heat pipe principle, and increases the boiling area by using multiple layers. This combination gives MHP the potential for order-of-magnitude better cooling than conventional technologies. A comparison of the calculated heat transfer for MHP vs. other cooling methods are shown in the figure belows (lower temperatures at high heat fluxes is better):   

MHP can be configured as either loop- or wick-type systems (*)  . Loop-MHP is best suited for cooling stationary heat sources, and can readily scale-up for very high heat loads. Wick-MHP is well-suited for mobile heat sources, or where design requirements preclude locating the condensers above the heat sources.

(*)  Loop-heat pipes have two tubes (one for vapor and one for liquid) relying on gravity-return of the liquid, and the condensers can be remotely located (up to tens of meters) from the heat sources.  Wick-heat pipes use a single tube, where vapor travels through the center of the tube, and liquid returns along the walls by capillary action. Although the condensers need to be fairly close to the heat sources, they can be placed in any orientation, including horizontally or even below the heat source.

Key Applications

• Data Centers:  Slash cooling costs by transferring heat from servers while reducing or eliminating the need for air conditioning.   Heat transfer media are non-hazardous, electrically insulating, and non-flammable, eliminating the risk of short-circuits, electrical shock, and equipment damage that can occur in the event of a leak with water-cooled systems.

• Concentrating Photovoltaics (CPV):  MHP^TM technology allows lower operating temperatures for solar-concentrator photovoltaic cells, increasing electrical conversion efficiency (click here for examples).  Higher concentrations can be achieved, significantly improving the economics of solar power by reducing the size of the solar cells.  Waste heat can be captured to generate additional power.

• High-power electronics:  Maintain operating temperatures well below design limits at higher wattages, using passive cooling (click here for examples).  Improve performance, efficiency, and reliability.                                                 

• Solid-state high-power lasers:  Phase-changing non-conductive coolants eliminate the need and maintenance requirements of deionized-water cooling loops.  Dramatically reduce the size and weight of cooling/chiller system auxiliaries while reducing electrical power requirements, for more compact and efficient laser systems.

• Computer Over-Clocking: Superior heat transfer allows processors to handle more power, allowing higher over-clocking speeds than with conventional cooling solutions.   Smaller / simpler cooling ancillary equipment enables use of smaller form-factors.

• Desktop Computers:  Passive cooling eliminates the need for noisy high-speed fans for CPUs and graphics chips, allowing near-silent operation.  Achieve the cooling performance of in-case liquid-cooled systems, without the risks associated with water, and more reliably than with pumped units.

• Laptop Computers:  Passive cooling eliminates cooling fans, reducing power consumption and extending battery life.  Dispersed heat rejection eliminates hot-spots and lap-burn.