Xiaomi has introduced Loop LiquidCool Technology which promises twice the cooling capabilities compared to conventional vapor chambers solutions. It is inspired by cooling solutions used in the aerospace industry, says the company.
This technology utilizes a capillary effect which draws liquid cooling agent to the heat source, vaporizes, and then disperses the heat efficiently towards a cooler area, until the agent condenses and is captured via a unidirectional closed looped channel.
There is an annular heat pipe system that is composed of an evaporator, a condenser, a refill chamber, as well as gas and liquid pipes. Placed at heat sources, the evaporator has refrigerant that evaporates to gas when the smartphone is under high workload. The gas and airflow is then diffused to the condenser, where the gas condenses into liquid again. These liquids are absorbed and collected through tiny fibers in the refill chamber—which refills the evaporator—making it a self-sustaining system.
Although this new technology uses the same method as VC liquid cooling, this uses ring-shaped pump features a special gas pipe design, which greatly reduces air passage resistance by 30% for a smoother steam flow, so the maximum heat transfer capacity is increased by up to 100%.
One-way circulation
To ensure one-way high-efficiency circulation, it uses a Tesla valve structure within the refill chamber that allow liquid to pass through the evaporator, while blocking gases from moving in the incorrect direction. This allows for a higher efficiency in gas/liquid circulation throughout the system.
Xiaomi has also demoed it on a custom Xiaomi MIX 4, in which the original vapor chamber was replaced with a new Loop LiquidCool Technology solution.
Regarding this, Xiaomi said:
During a 30-minute Genshin Impact gameplay test running 60fps max video settings, this impressive cooling system kept the device below a max temperature of 47.7℃ and the processor was 8.6℃ lower than the standard version.
The flexible form factor also makes it possible to adopt and stack Loop LiquidCool Technology into any type of internal design that allows for a more space for the battery, camera module, and more.
Xiaomi plans to introduce the Loop LiquidCool Technology in its smartphones in the second half of 2022.