ultra quiet fans and heatsinks completly flat on the bottom

[Bignate603]

ok, this may sound strange but this isn't for computers... this is a cooling system for x-ray sources. This x-ray system will put out an ultra accurate beam, very fine, so any vibration is VERY bad. I need the best fans out there with the least vibration. Also, i need heatsinks that will be able to sit right next to each other and completely flat on a brass plate to cool it. Fans do not have to be 12v, can be anything really, but they need to be LOW vibration. Peltiers may be an option. These sources can put out 70 watts of heat so they need major cooling...
Any help would be apprecited.

One more thing, price is not really a problem, if the cooling system costs $500 it's no prob.

 

[Fardringle]

If you can make sure that you won't have any condensation on the x-ray components, you'd probably be best off with a peltier or similar setup, since all fans create vibration - some less than others, but even the best available computer cooling fans will shake the system more than you want..

 

[Bignate603]

I've been reading up and peltiers are probably not the way to go... They actually CREATE heat. Since i want to keep this at room temp and not below it's easier to just use heatsinks instead of a peltier then a heatsink. If I did that i would just have more heat to deal with. For fans i was thinking of isolating them from the rest of the case. Just put a dampener between it and the case so there's no vibration.

 

[tonyou]

You probably need water cooling, they have no vibrations.

Tony

 

[Bignate603]

I know that water cooling would be the best for this but saying it has water cooling makes it a tough sell. Other systems that have water cooling in the past were big and bulky. This is supposed to be the size of a small briefcase. I know i could make it fit, but when they ask for the specs and see water cooling, they will think "lack of portability". It's an issue that marketing doesn't want. I may have to look into obscenely expensive parts for this now....

 

[Tweakmeister]

Interesting situation. You might try 3M Fluorinert (same thermal conductivity as water, but not electrically conductive).
The possibilities are almost endless as for a design (regardless of the cooling method). It just takes some ingenuity.

 

[mechBgon]

Not knowing what limitations you work with, maybe this is not a viable option... but how about a manifold to duct the air in and out, with the fans themselves located elsewhere? That would isolate the machine from the fans' vibrations.

If it were me, I'd get in touch with a major fan maker such as Nidec and ask their engineers for some feedback/suggestions. They have probably had to deal with similar requests.

 

[Bignate603]

i was thinking about ducting... May be the best option to solve it. Again, the boss is afraid of any fluid cooling because of that stupid marketing problem. Since this is supposed to be portable the buyers don't want fluid cooling. Sheet metal ducting may do the job, forcing airflow across some good heatsinks.

 

[mechBgon]

To be technically accurate, air cooling IS fluid cooling, since both gasses and liquids are fluids. But to be more helpful and less technical, here is a link to a whopper Alpha heatsink. Hope that is a step forward! : )

 

[Bignate603]

Ok, i know air is a fluid, liquid, you know what i mean! lol, and that Alpha heatsink is looking promising... thanks for that link!

 

[Howard]

Remember to mount the fans with rubber grommets (donuts) to minimize vibration.

 

[Bignate603]

that would be a good idea. I think with that ultimate alpha heatsink (or two or three...) i can duct it enough to cool the sucker. we'll have to see how to isolate the fans after i get a test model built.

 

[fastvideo]

i think the best solutions is using the heat pipe.
using one end to cool what ever you wants to, and leave the other end (the hot side) off or out side this unit and cool with whatever size of heatsink and 100s of fans.

 

[pac1085]

You should contact ...Alpha...see what they say...they do alot of stuff like that, but I bet if you wanted something custom made, youd have to buy ALOT of them, or spend ALOT of money...

 

[Bignate603]

well, production for these may cap out as 100 or so, so i don't know if we are up to getting cozy with a major maker. We'll probably use the huge whopper alphas that another guy gave a link to.