I-Corps: Flexible, Low Cost Cooling Technology for LED Lighting

发光二极管（LED）照明有可能在未来20年内显著降低美国照明用电量，节省数十亿美元。更好的热管理是增加LED照明商业应用的关键，因为系统效率、可靠性和成本取决于散热。商用LED系统通常使用铸铝散热器进行冷却。热管技术虽然以增强散热而闻名，但由于（a）高成本和（B）有限的设计灵活性，在LED照明系统中发现有限的商业用途。热管技术（a）在热分布/耗散方面是高效的，（B）在设计/制造方面是灵活的，以及（c）是成本有效的，其将通过同时提高系统效率和降低成本来显著增强LED照明系统的商业可行性。PI在表面强化沸腾技术方面的创新有望产生高效的热管，这些热管设计/制造灵活，成本效益高，可用于各种LED照明系统。该产品包括一个创新的风冷冷凝器，集成了LED照明引擎，将能够提供更高的散热能力，而不会遇到商业热管通常遇到的问题，如干涸或临界热通量条件。LED照明的好处-上级能源效率（每输入瓦特的流明输出）、长寿命、一致性和可靠性-高度依赖于热管理，因为LED会产生热量。与通过辐射消散的传统照明设备不同，LED产生的热量必须快速有效地从二极管传导出去。对LED产生的热量的不充分的热管理导致光输出的持续劣化和较短的LED寿命。这项技术的实施将直接解决LED行业和国家能源管理任务的问题。这将允许更紧凑的LED照明系统，特别是对于商业照明应用，例如路灯和体育场灯，其中需要高散热率。提供更有效的冷却将延长LED的使用寿命，并显著降低这些应用中高昂的更换成本。最终，该项目将展示使用增强型热管进行LED冷却的技术和经济可行性，并加速LED照明在商业和工业照明中各种应用的市场采用。

Light emitting diode (LED) lighting has the potential to reduce US electricity consumption for lighting significantly within the next two decades, saving billions of dollars. Better thermal management is key to increased commercial adoption of LED lighting as system efficacy, reliability and cost are dependent upon heat dissipation. Commercial LED systems typically use cast aluminum heat sinks for cooling. Heat pipe technology, although well known for enhanced heat dissipation, finds limited commercial use in LED lighting systems because of (a) high cost and (b) limited design flexibility. Heat pipe technology that is (a) highly efficient at heat distribution/dissipation, (b) flexible in terms of design/manufacturing and (c) cost-effective would significantly enhance the commercial viability of LED lighting systems by simultaneously improving system efficacy and reducing cost. Innovations made by the PI in surface enhanced boiling technology are expected to yield highly efficient heat pipes that are flexible in design/manufacturing and cost-effective for use in varied LED lighting systems. The proposed product, which includes an innovative air-cooled condenser integrated with the LED light engine, will be able to provide significantly higher heat removal capability without encountering problems commonly experienced by commercial heat pipes such as dryout or critical heat flux condition.The benefits of LED lighting - superior energy efficiency (lumens output per input watt), long life, consistency and reliability - are highly dependent on thermal management as LEDs generate heat. Unlike conventional lighting devices which dissipate by radiation, heat generated by LEDs must be conducted away from the diodes quickly and efficiently. Inadequate thermal management of heat generated by the LEDs leads to consistent deterioration in light output and shorter LED lifetime. The implementation of this technology will directly address the issues of the LED industry and the nation's energy management mandate. This will allow for more compact LED lighting systems especially for commercial lighting applications, such as street lights and stadium lights, where high heat dissipation rates are necessary. Providing more effective cooling will increase LED life and significantly reduce the high replacement costs in these applications. Ultimately, this project will demonstrate the technical and economic viability of using enhanced heat pipes for LED cooling and accelerate the market adoption of LED lighting for varied applications in commercial and industrial lighting.