Mercury Heat Pipe

[Seyeklopz]

I was trying to find the best liquid for heat transfer and came across mercury(13 x thermal conduction than water!). The problem is mercury's boiling point is 357 Celcius. Anyone of you guys with sufficient physics/chemistry knowledge to figure how low pressure a vacuum needs to be for mercury to evaporate at around 40-60 Celcius? It may not be possible

But even if it can't be used for a heat pipe, what about just for a pumped cooling system? Silver heat sinks, mercury proof clear tubes, it'd be the most hardcore liquid cool on earth. Combined with peltiers it could work as low as -38.9 Celcius (freezing point of mercury).

I realize the dangers.. It's poisonous, and quite electrically conductive, but modding power supplies isn't exactly safe either

[jaydee]

Were are you going to get mercury?

[Seyeklopz]

You can buy mercury here, by simply finding an educator in a university to do it for you as it's a restricted material :P

[Khledar]

Yeah and 500g with an approximate density of 13.5 g/cm^3 gives a rough volume of 37 odd millilitres for $31. My WC loop takes about 1.5 L to fill. So we're talking about $1200 to fill the system once, I'm assuming that's also USD meaning that's like $2000CAD. And I could buy a few vapochills or maybe a good supply of LN2. Basically I don't think, for the possible gains of a few deg C closer to ambient, it's anywhere near ... reality.



Then again, I guess after playing with the mercury for a while it might seem like a good idea. You know it kicking your ass and all.

[Seyeklopz]

Water is the best coolant I guess, or a saline solution. Mercury conducts heat 13 times bettwer than water so you could theoretically build a much more compact liquid cooler with a lower volume.

Just exploring ideas.

[Khledar]

This might have interesting possibilities in a direct die approach with a very small coolant loop.

But I think it is a bit far out there

[surlyjoe]

wasnt he asking about a heatpipe fluid? that dont take too much

[redleader]

Originally posted by Seyeklopz
Water is the best coolant I guess, or a saline solution. Mercury conducts heat 13 times bettwer than water so you could theoretically build a much more compact liquid cooler with a lower volume.

Just exploring ideas.

The specific heat of mecury is very low and its rather viscus. It would make a poor coolant.

not to mention the minor practical issues, like how do you pump a fluid that heavy.

I was trying to find the best liquid for heat transfer and came across mercury(13 x thermal conduction than water!). The problem is mercury's boiling point is 357 Celcius. Anyone of you guys with sufficient physics/chemistry knowledge to figure how low pressure a vacuum needs to be for mercury to evaporate at around 40-60 Celcius? It may not be possible

The only requirement for a heatpipe is that the coolant be a liquid at the range of temperatures and pressures used. The boiling point doesn't matter directly (although boiling point is determined solely by vapor pressure which does matter). So it will work, however I'm not sure that it would beat water. It has a pretty low vapor pressure and although conductivity is high that doesn't really matter since we're using convection and not conduction inside the pipe.

Alcohol is probably better from a performance standpoint.

[redleader]

Originally posted by surlyjoe
wasnt he asking about a heatpipe fluid? that dont take too much

No need to rolleyes. just read the thread:

But even if it can't be used for a heat pipe, what about just for a pumped cooling system?

[bigben2k]

Forget using Mercury in a cooling loop: it's just too toxic.