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The first cooler on a computer mainboard powered by the low DT Stirling engine

Micro-Star International (MSI) from Taiwan, one of the leaders in mainboard technology, introduced for the first time a motive power of the 'small' Stirling engine into one of the crucial computer parts, on a mainboard. The main purpose of low temperature difference Stirling engine is to run an air cooler, which was the reason for presenting such an invention under the title: World's First Powerless Air Cooler on a Mainboard. It was at well known fair CeBIT08 in Hannover, when MSI exhibited their "Air Power Cooler" as the cheapest cooler because of the efficient power design. Low DT Stirling engine saves the energy which would be used for cooling of computer. At the same time, it is the source of power for air cooler due to the heat transferred from the mainboard, during its work, to the hot side of the Stirling engine. The rotating fan, placed on the engine’s crankshaft, is then cooling the small heat exchanger on the mainboard. Inventor of the first low temperature difference Stirling engine was late professor emeritus Ivo Kolin from Croatia, who presented it 26 years ago. His model was running under the moderate source of heat, below the human body temperature. Since then, better models have been built in both directions, either towards decreased or increased temperature differences. As the engine power mainly depends upon the cube of temperature difference, it was meant before the MSI’s usage on a mainboard, that ultra-low DT engine has a more theoretical than practical meaning. Further development of such an efficient invention that saves even the small amount of energy per unit-power can be important in the future, especially in a case of improved compression ratio which also strongly influences engine power.

low DT Stirling engine; air cooler; working piston amplitude; compression ratio

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