Copper Plate Rad dimensions/performance/etc?
 

hey i was reading a recent thread and in it person discussed cooling the water by having the water flow through thin, flat channels.... I was wondering if anyone had experience doing this, and is so
--what thickness copper plating did you use?,
--what are the optimal dimensions to use for a good balance between waterflow and cooling capacity?
--What is the performance you are getting out of this?
--How is your perfmance compared to a heatercore such as the chevette heatercore than many use?

I'm about to be ordering a bunch of metal to make my new block with dremel + dremel drill press+ cross slide vise :) and since onlinemetals.com shipping is kinda high, i would like to get this all in one order... thx much guys

1st post!! haha

Welcome to ProCooling!

Now take a look at our waterblock design forum, and your questions will be answered! You might have to run a search, but it's all there.

no no no, i was talking abuot a RADiator, im going to be doing micro channels for my waterblock, but im talking abuot a copper plate rad its in the "Making a Heate core" thread at about the middle


sry if there was any confusion

thank for reading my thread

I remember someone tried to commercialize something just like that.

It does work, but you really have to take a look at a heatercore, to see why it's so effective.

Are you creating something out of a specific need, like a very small amount of space?

I've seen a set up like that used for chilling with pelts. It was said to work well but also uses a lot of power as does any pelt set up.

I would think it would be far less effective for use with just ambient air temps, or worse the air inside a case.

When I get my own house I plan on putting my servers in the basement and using a cooling plate like that to cool them off. I figure if you put a decent size plate like that on the basement floor (right on the cement foundation) with a bit of TIM material between them (I figure some oil or something that won't evaporate, not thermal paste for cost reasons) that I should be able to dissipate all the heat into the ground.

Hey i'm from ATL too!!

I too was thinking of something like this but have a bunch of them connected to each other.

The downside to this is the price in comparison to a heatercore. If I were to buy the metal from onlinemetals.com I think I recall a price of around 70$

It would have to be enormous to match the surface area of a heatercore.

yes, the time to make one of these is very long... why would it cost $70, don't you just need copper plates? i saw a design what was easier to make at OCAU

http://forums.overclockers.com.au/sh...5&pagenumber=1

the original idea is the same is this one but keep reading the thread and you will see how people are planning to build a better performance + more efficient rad.

What part of ATL u live?

Hey Cova
 

Hello All, Hey Cova that would probally not be a good idea as copper chemically reacts with conctrete/cement, I believe its the residual lime that quickly corrodes copper. If you plumbed it in CPVC or a plastic/silicon tubing that might work. Another thought along these lines would be to stick it under your basement floor slab or through a small hole in the cellar wall where you'd be at least 4' below grade as the earths temperature remains very consistant year round, I believe I've seen air cooling sysyems set-up like this. Just my 2 cents.
Regards, Szandor

I'm from Marietta, West Cobb more exactly, but it would cost 70$ to buy the metal.

I my idea each radiator cell would consist of 2 plates and glued soldered, etc. between them would be metal strips to direct the flow. I was going to make this to fit in the front of my case( lianLi PC60) and do this by making 10 6X7in. plates and stack them 3mm. apart.

I'm not sure if you have read it, but there is an article about making this type of radiator on Overclockers.com in the watercooling section. I think it was called "more radiator, less noise" but i'm not sure

Had another crazy thought
 

Hello All, Thinking about external cooling options last night when it hit me - Forced Hotwater heating pipes/radiators. Copper pipe with many aluminum cooling/radiating fins, usually 3/4" ID but can be found smaller. One of my buddies works for an HVAC outfit and they re-hab these things frequently, I bet if you look around you can find some used sections for pennies or free when these companies re-do a home or business. Run the pipe through your basement to take advantage of the cooler temps and heat your basement to some degree too. :D You could use those snap couplings at the computer for connections. The small pumps that run these can be picked up second hand as well and don't cost much more than a decent water cooling pump even when new. Anyway just a thought, other option would be if you have open floor joists in your basement, run it in flexable tubing and then insulate to create a mild sub-floor heating system for the first level of the house. I'll shut up now.
Regards, Szandor

That actually sounds promising, Szandor.

Got any pics or links?

Hello All, I don't have any links in general though I could probally dig up something, what in particular? Any good home center or Home Depot or Lowes should have all this hardware in stock. I'd contact your local HVAC or Heating contractor to ask him about the possibility of buying/aquiring the re-habbed sections. This is very common up here in the Northeast but as for you more southern climes folk, the use of Forced Hotwater may not be as prevalent. The sub-floor heating just uses decent quality cheap vinyl tubing whch you fasten to the underside of your sub-floor with small plastic fixtures, the tubing just snaps in. You could use a good quality/volume Aquarium/Pond pump (Maxi-jet, Hagen, Eheim, others) to run it or use the standard impeller pump that mounts in a small cast housing that the tubing/pipe attaches to. If you were actually building a new home or installing a basement slab the vinyl tubing can be laid directly in the concrete which serves as an excellent thermal mass for absorbing heat.
Regards, Szandor

Re: Hey Cova
 

At least here, almost all home piping is made with copper buried in the concrete, and it's suposed to be eternal. The only long term concern I know, is with common solder degradation. Well, earthquakes can damage it too :p

Hello All, Yup, that used to be a real common practice of burying the pipes, now though if they have to do this they will insert the pipe in a plastic sleeve or use CPVC pipe.
Regards, Szandor