Talk:Heat spreader

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Rewrote Lead[edit]

I rewrote the lead to shorten a few of the sentences and reorganize it (and get rid of clauses-used-as-quasi-subjects - "since ...., subj verb ...) While I DO like such constructions (obviously..), since having an 'third-hand experience" with severe brain injury.. I seem to find myself caring more than before (there it is again, sort of) - about such things as clarity, sentence length, and paragraph length.

Is this correct, especially the phrase?

"The high conduction properties of the spreader will make it more effective to function as a air heat exchanger, as opposed to the original (presumably smaller) source."

Entire new lead:

A heat spreader is a heat exchanger that moves heat between a heat source, and a secondary heat exchanger whose surface area and geometry are more favorable than the source. A heat spreader is most often simply a copper plate, which has a high thermal conductivity. By definition, heat is "spread out" over this geometry, such that the secondary heat exchanger, and this increases the heat capacity of the total assembly. The high conduction properties of the spreader will make it more effective to function as a air heat exchanger, as opposed to the original (presumably smaller) source. The low heat conduction of air in convection is matched by the higher surface area of the spreader, and heat is radiated more effectively.

Thank you, editors who have been at this longer.. Jimw338 (talk) 00:22, 15 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Just a comment: "Heat capacity" has nothing to do with it, this is about lowering thermal resistance. Suggest changing. Vola31 (talk) 08:20, 23 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Heat spreader / heat sink conflation[edit]

Regarding the inclusion of "Two memory modules encased in aluminum heat spreaders" File:Corsair_CM2X1024-6400C5DHX_20080221.jpg as an example in the article, I am not sure if that is correct given that a heat spreader is previously defined as A heat spreader transfers energy as heat from a hotter source to a colder heat sink or heat exchanger. There is no secondary heat sink or heat exchanger in the example. The memory dies are directly cooled by the attached aluminum pieces (note the finned area on top) and therefore it would be classified as a heat sink and not as a heat spreader. Atomlage (talk) 04:17, 25 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]