Mobo immersion

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Python14

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jul 29, 2004
Messages
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Alright, I've got a spare computer that I have been using for folding for a while, but it's really just collecting dust under my desk. I figured it might be a cool project. So what I wanna try is some type of motherboard immersion. I read somewhere about a lubricant used in transformers that people have tried. It doesn't have quite the specific heat of water, but it's better than air, so it seems atleast like a neat idea. My plan is to modify the case with an acrylic "pool" that the mobo sits in and the lubricant is cycled in with a heavy-duty trash pump and some kind of bong reservoir.

My questions?

I can't remember the exact name of the lube, but I seem to think it was like Mitel #7*6*(I can't remember the other numbers)...do yall know?

I'm not going for anything hardcore here, I just want to make a neat computer that will shut the guys down the hall up(they put a plasmaball in their comptuers and think tehy are the shit). But yea, I'm really just looking for the name of the chemical.
 
Look for any kind of nonconductive oil- people have used mineral oil, vegetable oil, ... I don't know, random stuff. STay away from anything with additives like motor oil, probably any petroleum based fluid would be bad. Good luck finding a pump that can handle a higher viscosity fluid though, it might cost you a pretty penny. I don't even know where to send you looking for one of those except mcmaster.com, only because they have everything :D
 
Reading your post reminded me of an article I saw earlier this year about a newly developed liquid that has similar properties of water except it does not get things wet. The article can be found here.
You may be interested in the pictures (link at top of article). They show a demo of the liquid, also known as Sapphire, from an episode of Good Morning America. They place several items in the liquid to demonstrate that nothing gets wet including a powered up laptop and lcd monitor!

The first thing that came to mind when I saw this was what sort of wicked computer cooling system could someone create with it? Since I'm new to the forums I don't know if this new liquid has been mentioned before so I thought I'd post just to make sure. I have no idea what the availability of Sapphire is, but I can imagine it might be somewhat difficult to get your hands on. The article says it was develop for use in fire suppression systems and is environmentally safe....in fact the demo shows the gentleman putting his hand in the liquid.

After a quick google search I found another article by newscientist. It would appear that the down side to using a liquid like this for cooling is that it vaporizes at 49C. So it may not be the most effective solution, but certainly would be very cool. (pun intended) ;)
 
the fluid that is being talked about is fluidxp :D it is non toxic and non-conductive. they also claim that it has the same viscosity as water and transfers heat identically. the downside to this fluid is that it costs $40 for 32 ounces.... ouch but in any case it is cheaper than fluorinert from 3M... that costs $300 a gallon.
 
Turbine oil is the same stuff used in transformers and can be bought in small quantities relatievly cheaply. It is very thin, but would work fine.
 
ccbutler said:
This guy is still tweaking his rig, but did it using Midel 7131.

Project ThinkTank

It's pretty cool, i saw it's first boot-up ;)
Click to expand...


Thanks for the props bud ! :D


Yep....I'm using a biodegradable,non-toxic,dielectric fluid called Midel 7131.It's made in England and cost $400 CDN (125 for the Midel , the rest for fedex) for 25 L (5 gal).I believe there's a link on my thinktank thread....

Couple comments about fluids for submersion cooling :

Without question , The best fluid (thermally) is 3M Fluorinert.I was quoted about $400 a gallon :eek: ....also , I have heard if it actually burns , it degrades into very poisonous compounds.
The next best fluids ( thermally,safety,fire etc) would be transformer dielectric fluids......Midel 7131 stands nearly alone here.Right at the front if fluid color matters.....I wanted a clear fluid , but there is a lime green fluid that's close.I hafta say : I'm glad I went to M&I materials to get Midel 7131....They were so helpful and friendly I was blown away.Very good service.

Basically , you can use almost any oil.Anything non-conductive really..........It's all a case of making sure you understand the properties of the oil ....and what you want out of it performance wise.

The criteria I was after are :
-Low temp : Oil is thick when cold.Midel will pump (with the right pump) at -30 C.
-Flammability : Lots of good coolants burn ....fire is bad.Make sure your coolant has decent fire ratings.
-Toxicity : Lots of good coolants are very poisonous.Avoid them.
-Biodegradable ? : Silicone oil works great , but never goes away.
-Lastly , Materials compatibility :
Keep In mind , you are going to be using something (the rig) ,for something it's not designed to do....you'll be voiding EVERY warranty there is.Also , some coolants will dissolve some plastics/rubber....If you use any type of oil , It will probably dissolve rubber.Like the rubber that seals every electrolytic capacitor on your machine......I had to seal every one of mine with acrylic.

Good luck with your project sir.......I sure know I had fun doing mine.
 
I read up on the Novek 1230 Fluid that was in the New Scientist article. In addition to the problem of a low evaporation point, it also can not withstand exposure to direct sunlight and is intended to be kept in completely enclosed surroundings. In addition it has some unsavory warnings about wearing a ventilator, gloves, and goggles when handling it.

The Midel sounds interesting, but for the price the new fluid InertX that was on the front page today seems tempting. Especially since it's chemical properties are a little more in line with dropping in a Water Cooling setup.
 
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