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Brians256 · 09-18-2002, 02:21 PM

I hope I've read your posts correctly and understand what you proposed.

Using peltiers is best for directly cooling the device. The reason is twofold. First, peltiers are really inefficient so you end up using kilowatts of electricity trying to appreciably cool the water to any significant measure. Second is that when you use a chiller, you end up fighting thermal "leakage" from your hoses. If you want your coolant to be really cold, you might end up moving as much or more heat from leakage as you do from the CPU core itself!

Many experiments have been tried, and unless you have a phase change setup, don't try and chill the coolant. It just doesn't work very well. I've seen about 4 attempts to make it work, and the results aren't nearly as good as if the person just put the peltier units onto the CPU and then used a normal water cooling system for the hot side of the peltier(s).

The best setup, of course, would be a phase change chiller for the coolant combined with a peltier sitting on the chip.

Don't try phase change without a significant investment in time and money though. #rotor has to be one of the most knowledgeable forum members for phase change. He has vast experience with doing it, as opposed to merely theoretical knowledge. But, don't discount many other people too. I can think of bowman and several others who actively work on phase change setups too. There are a lot of smart and experienced people here!

09-18-2002, 02:21 PM	#40
Brians256 Pro/Staff Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Klamath Falls, OR Posts: 1,439	I hope I've read your posts correctly and understand what you proposed. Using peltiers is best for directly cooling the device. The reason is twofold. First, peltiers are really inefficient so you end up using kilowatts of electricity trying to appreciably cool the water to any significant measure. Second is that when you use a chiller, you end up fighting thermal "leakage" from your hoses. If you want your coolant to be really cold, you might end up moving as much or more heat from leakage as you do from the CPU core itself! Many experiments have been tried, and unless you have a phase change setup, don't try and chill the coolant. It just doesn't work very well. I've seen about 4 attempts to make it work, and the results aren't nearly as good as if the person just put the peltier units onto the CPU and then used a normal water cooling system for the hot side of the peltier(s). The best setup, of course, would be a phase change chiller for the coolant combined with a peltier sitting on the chip. Don't try phase change without a significant investment in time and money though. #rotor has to be one of the most knowledgeable forum members for phase change. He has vast experience with doing it, as opposed to merely theoretical knowledge. But, don't discount many other people too. I can think of bowman and several others who actively work on phase change setups too. There are a lot of smart and experienced people here!