Cooling with Alcohol (Discussion)

[SledgeMakeGood]

Since I wasn't around to comment on this thread before it was locked up, I felt like starting a new one which has some semblence of serious...ness. Or whatever word that actually exists and means "seriousness".

Has anybody done it?
Do any of the kinds of tubing material we use stand up to it? (I've heard that they don't)
How about acrylic reservoir epoxy, or blue RTV silicon used to seal pumps?
For that matter, how about clear acrylic plastic?
Does it perform better or worse than water?
Does it corrode metals? (including brass and chrome hose barbs)
Has anybody found a coolant additive that doesn't get chunky in it? (I know that Water Wetter does, badly)
Does anybody know it's specs on thermal conductivity?
Does anybody use it at work in cooling systems?
Is there a decent stout to substitute Guinness when you can't find it? (I believe my answer to this would be Heineken Dark, but I'm still looking)

Don't answer that last question, I don't want this thread to get locked too.

Please post any opinions and ideas you have about alcohol as coolant. Remember, there are different types of alcohol, you can use rubbing (isopropyl) which is easily bought from grocery stores, or racing fuel, which is sometimes mixed with other chemicals, though it probably performs similarly. The cost isn't all that much greater when you consider that you're probably only buying two or three bottles of rubbing alcohol for your average water cooling system, including the reservoir. I'd be interested in trying it, but it helps a ton to post crazy ideas in here before you break out the machine shop.

Again, the mods seem to frown on drink-related matter, so keep it toned down. Do it for the kids who can't legally buy Doom 3 or Half-Life 2 yet (but already own real AND h4XX0r3d copies of both).

 

[thewhiteguy]

I don't see why you would be considering it unless you wanted to use it in a bong cooler, in which case it would be better than water but you'd have to fill it up every couple minutes.

 

[Python14]

Alcohol has a lower specific heat than water. Why would you want something that heats up faster than water? Unless you want to set up some kind of stil looking thing with evaporators and such....in which case I can vaguely understand it. But that won't really do much better than water.

 

[Jima13]

http://www.merchantduvin.com/pages/5_breweries/samsmith_taddy.html

simply one of the best.

http://www.ratebeer.com/Ratings/Beer/ShowBrewer.asp?BrewerID=17

The Oatmeal Stout & Imperial Stout rate a little higher, but my tastebuds favor the porter...

 

[Steel Chicken]

I don't see why you would be considering it unless you wanted to use it in a bong cooler, in which case it would be better than water but you'd have to fill it up every couple minutes.

yeah that would be a good idea, large quantities of poisionous chemicals (both isopropyl and methanol are toxic) evaporting in the air

 

[enraged78]

Since I wasn't around to comment on this thread before it was locked up, I felt like starting a new one which has some semblence of serious...ness. Or whatever word that actually exists and means "seriousness".

Has anybody done it?
Do any of the kinds of tubing material we use stand up to it? (I've heard that they don't)
How about acrylic reservoir epoxy, or blue RTV silicon used to seal pumps?
For that matter, how about clear acrylic plastic?
Does it perform better or worse than water?
Does it corrode metals? (including brass and chrome hose barbs)
Has anybody found a coolant additive that doesn't get chunky in it? (I know that Water Wetter does, badly)
Does anybody know it's specs on thermal conductivity?
Does anybody use it at work in cooling systems?

1.) Yup.
2.) Vinyl will stand up to it if you mix in enough distilled water to keep it from eating it. I ran it for a year with no ill effects.
3.) Acrylic resivoir is what I used. I wouldn't imagine how you would build a res out of RTV.
4.) Worse than water. Mixing it gives you the best of both worlds if you want to go sub zero. Keeps waters heat absorbing properties, but doesn't freeze. I had mine down to a record -25 Degrees Farenheit with no icing of any kind.
5.) If you have copper, aluminum, alchohol, and non-distilled water in a system, you WILL get electrolytic effect.
6.) Nope, but I didn't need one. Contamination was zero.
7.) Don't know TC, because I was using a mixture of Alch and water.
8.) Not at work, but I used it at home for a while.

http://www.hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=779646&highlight=absolut

If I knew then what I know now, I would have told myself that a fridge which has 100BTUs of cooling power cannot possibly cool a 120 Watt processor. I would have needed about 800BTUs minimum to get the performance I wanted. 100BTUs can cool 120 Watts, but it won't keep it cold for long, and takes a while to charge.

Matt.

 

[thewhiteguy]

yeah that would be a good idea, large quantities of poisionous chemicals (both isopropyl and methanol are toxic) evaporting in the air

Evaporated isoropyl is poisoness? I better stop snipping the alcohol bottle when I open it.

 

[Steel Chicken]

Evaporated isoropyl is poisoness? I better stop snipping the alcohol bottle when I open it.

no, by all means, take a big swig for me.

http://www.embbs.com/cr/alc/alc5.html

 

[zer0signal667]

Again, the mods seem to frown on drink-related matter, so keep it toned down. Do it for the kids who can't legally buy Doom 3 or Half-Life 2 yet (but already own real AND h4XX0r3d copies of both).

I don't frown on drinking, in fact it usually makes me smile.
I lovked the other thread because it was a seemingly alcohol-induced post that sparked a thread with very little to do with overclocking and cooling. This one seems to be headed in a better direction.

Regarding the topic.. using pure alcohol will not lead to corrosion. Using some mixture of water and alcohol will probably greatly reduce it.
Other than that, seems like all your questions have been answered.