Patent ID: 7405936

Claim:
A hybrid cooling system for a multi-component electronics system, the hybrid cooling system comprising: an air moving device for establishing air flow across multiple components of an electronics system, the electronics system comprising at least one primary heat generating component to be cooled and at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled; a liquid-based cooling subsystem comprising at least one cold plate configured to couple to the at least one primary heat generating component to be cooled for liquid-based cooling thereof, the liquid-based cooling subsystem further comprising at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube in fluid communication with the at least one cold plate for facilitating passage of liquid coolant through the at least one cold plate; and a thermally conductive auxiliary structure coupled to the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube, the thermally conductive auxiliary structure including a plurality of thermally conductive fins extending from a surface thereof, wherein when the hybrid cooling system is employed to cool the multi-component electronics system, with the at least one cold plate coupled to the at least one primary heat generating component to be cooled, the plurality of thermally conductive fins of the thermally conductive auxiliary structure are disposed at least partially over the at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled, and provide cooling of at least a portion of the air flow established across the multiple components of the electronics system to further facilitate cooling thereof.