How do Notebook Heat Sinks work?

Notebook heat sinks are a type of Hardware Stamping Parts Notebook Heat Sinks, and their principle is that through two physical processes, conduction and convection, the heat generated by the CPU or GPU of a laptop, such as Notebook, can be quickly transferred to another object or extended air, preventing the device from overheating.

Thermal conduction

1. Heat source contact: The heat sink is usually in direct contact with the laptop heat producing components such as the CPU and there’s often a layer of thermally conductive silicone grease used to close the space between the two objects to improve transfer of heat.

2. Thermal conduction process: The heat generated by the heat source is transferred by direct contact to the heat sink, which is made of good heat conductor materials, such as copper or aluminum, which are capable of absorbing and diffusing heat quickly.

Heat convection

1. Expanding surface area: Heat sinks are generally made in elongated fins or rib shape form and the primary design aim is to enhance the maximum area exposed to the air, which is beneficial to the direct radiation of heat into the air rapidly.

2. Forced or natural convection: In the absence of a fan, heat comes out slowly by natural convection, for instance hot air rises while cold air falls; while in a cooling system with a fan, there is force convection which takes heat out more readily.