Peltier cooling...

[TMaxx6]

I'm interested in peltier cooling after looking at a few setups, so can someone explain this to me.

I understand that a TEC gets cold on one side (against the CPU), and hot on another (against a HS/F or a waterblock). Does the cold side go directly up against the CPU, or is the coldness transfered through a medium like a copper plate to the CPU?

As for keeping the hot side cool...what happens when something fails? Does the peltier begin to melt, or just perform poorly? I know many people use a watercooling setup for cooling the TEC down, but would a hs/f combination be useable (though impractical since the idea is to get a very low temp without much noise).

What is used to prevent condensation?

Thanks, I find this fascinating.

 

[zer0signal667]

I'm interested in peltier cooling after looking at a few setups, so can someone explain this to me.

I understand that a TEC gets cold on one side (against the CPU), and hot on another (against a HS/F or a waterblock). Does the cold side go directly up against the CPU, or is the coldness transfered through a medium like a copper plate to the CPU?

You'll need a metal plate between the two. This serves to distribute both heat and pressure (more) evenly across the peltier's cold side.

As for keeping the hot side cool...what happens when something fails? Does the peltier begin to melt, or just perform poorly? I know many people use a watercooling setup for cooling the TEC down, but would a hs/f combination be useable (though impractical since the idea is to get a very low temp without much noise).

Aircooled heatsinks are becoming a rarity with today's hot CPUs. If your cooler fails, the metal contacts inside the peltier will most likely melt, disconnect or short circuit and then melt, and you'll basically have a thermal insulator on your CPU

What is used to prevent condensation?

Thanks, I find this fascinating.

Neoprene (polymer foam, the stuff diving suits are made of) is commonly used. Dielectric greases is used on CPU pins and in the socket to keep the electronics safe.

 

[TMaxx6]

Ok, can someone explain to me the difference between Vapor Change cooling systems and Chilled Liquid cooling systems?

I know Vapor Change uses old air conditioners/refrigerators to get ice cold temperatures, but how is the CPU cooled? Is the cold air blown on the processor, or is it used to cool water? What are "cascades"...systems using multiple evaporators?

Chilled liquid cooling is just chilling the water to achieve a cooler temperature...what is used to chill the water though?

 

[gclg2000]

Ok, can someone explain to me the difference between Vapor Change cooling systems and Chilled Liquid cooling systems?

I know Vapor Change uses old air conditioners/refrigerators to get ice cold temperatures, but how is the CPU cooled? Is the cold air blown on the processor, or is it used to cool water? What are "cascades"...systems using multiple evaporators?

Chilled liquid cooling is just chilling the water to achieve a cooler temperature...what is used to chill the water though?

vapor coolers use freon running inside "tubes" that are pressed onto your cpu. The freon circulate inside and cooles your PC. Simply kinda like water cooling, except its uses -30 Celsius or colder liquid. Very effective

Chillers are like 75% of a vapor cooler. The cold parts of a vapor cooler is submerged into liquid and that liquied is pumped into blocks to cool the CPU. In the middle of vapor and water cooling kinda.

Cascades are systems using multiple compressors in link with each other. The first compressor simply put, just cools the 2nd one down even more so the freon can get even colder and cool your PC even more. They come in autocascade, 2-stage. 3-stage and some people are even now making 4 stage coolers. The temps on a good cascade should put you in the -80 C load (at least).

Hope this helps clear things up.

 

[TMaxx6]

vapor coolers use freon running inside "tubes" that are pressed onto your cpu. The freon circulate inside and cooles your PC. Simply kinda like water cooling, except its uses -30 Celsius or colder liquid. Very effective

Chillers are like 75% of a vapor cooler. The cold parts of a vapor cooler is submerged into liquid and that liquied is pumped into blocks to cool the CPU. In the middle of vapor and water cooling kinda.

Cascades are systems using multiple compressors in link with each other. The first compressor simply put, just cools the 2nd one down even more so the freon can get even colder and cool your PC even more. They come in autocascade, 2-stage. 3-stage and some people are even now making 4 stage coolers. The temps on a good cascade should put you in the -80 C load (at least).

Hope this helps clear things up.

It certainly does.

I have an old tiny dehumidifier in my basement no longer being used. I'm not going to use it any time right now, but I'm wondering, would it be possible to convert it to a water chiller setup assuming it is powerful enough (which I doubt)? Would it be the same as any other airconditioner/refrigerator based setup?

 

[gclg2000]

If you can get specs on the compressor and pics it would be much easier to say.

 

[zer0signal667]

Don't forget about peltier-based chillers. While inefficient from a power-consumption standpoint, they can work pretty well. Typically a second water loop is set up to cool the peltiers, which cool the water in the primary loop. Sort of similar to a phase-change cascade setup in that sense...

 

[TMaxx6]

If you can get specs on the compressor and pics it would be much easier to say.

Maybe I'll rip it out tomorrow. Again it's a very weak model, so I doubt it will be powerful enough.

I understand 2-stage, 3-stage, etc., but what is an autocascade setup?

 

[HeThatKnows]

An auto cascade is where you have two refrigerants with different boiling points in a single unit. The mixed gasses come out of the compresser and into the condenser, where gas one condenses and the other reamains a gas. Then into an accumulator/seperator - the liquid comes out the bottom, through a capillary tube, and evaporates in a heat-exchanger. Meanwhile gas two come out the top of the seperator and into the other side of the heat exchanger, where it's cooled and condensed by the boiling of gas one. Then the cold liquid gas two travels its own cap-tube and boils in the extremely cold evaporator. The gasses rejoin in the suction tube and head back to the compressor for another round.