Water Cooling without water?

[beckettcat]

I have a relatively simple question. Would we be able to fill a water cooling system with something other than water for better thermals?

As far as I can tell, water is used in cooling systems because of it's high volumetric heat capacity. But there are substances with higher volumetric heat capacity, like ammonia, hydrogen, or helium. Do you guys think filling a water cooling system with these would improve it's thermals?

[PSUGuru]

As far as I know, no.

[BubblyCharizard]

7 minutes ago, beckettcat said:

I have a relatively simple question. Would we be able to fill a water cooling system with something other than water for better thermals?

As far as I can tell, water is used in cooling systems because of it's high volumetric heat capacity. But there are substances with higher volumetric heat capacity, like ammonia, hydrogen, or helium. Do you guys think filling a water cooling system with these would improve it's thermals?

Although it is possible, some items (like hydrogen) would be not the smartest idea

 

you want something that if it leaks isn't flammable, or has the potential (like ammonia) to incapacitate the end user

 

if you wanted something gaseous, you could look at phase change

 

 

[BlueChinchillaEatingDorito]

Unless you want to have an exciting fire, I wouldn't put Hydrogen in a liquid cooler loop. 

[Daniel644]

NO,

you NEED LIQUID, Helium has to be -269* C to be a liquid and would FREEZE everything in the loop destroying the rubber seals and plastic then would boil off creating a lot of pressure.

same with liquid hydrogen.

Ammonia would just eat everything in the loop

[REX.exe]

It's pretty much impossible as most alternatives that WOULD work better would either result in a guaranteed mega fire or (like ammonia) probably kill you while you sleep.

 

And of course it has to be a liquid, so some potentials would simply have to be too cold to actually be in liquid form.

 

The only alternative to water I know of that people use is some sort of man made cooling fluid that's often dyed and is mainly used for colour and it is a lot easier to clean with a custom loop, so you can go with that but I don't think it cools better.

[SquintyG33Rs]

you can fill it with what ever you want. but it actually won't really make it perform better. water is used because it's very easy to find so it's convenient and other more exotic stuff would be incredibly more expensive for very little gain if any

[Gamerguy207]

Hydrogen would not be a good idea since it's flammable and helium is lighter then water so I would actually run up a tube also expensive

 

As for ammonia....... I'm not sure you want to Risk your life for better temps on a computer for something that works fine

 

Also little gain

 

Use Phase change or liquid nitrogen or just a balls to the wall water cooling loop

[lewdicrous]

You're trying to cool a computer not the Large Hadron Collider, helium is overkill.

Instead of worrying about the water, think about the fans and radiator for better cooling, you don't need to turn your PC into a cryogenic system.

Hydrogen is very flammable and you'll need to keep it at around −252.87 °C for it to stay as a liquid (−269 °C for helium and −195.79 °C for nitrogen)

Ammonia is corrosive and will ruin your entire system

 

stick with water, unless some company creates a special liquid for water cooled systems (use distilled water cause it doesn't have ions in it)

[For Science!]

4 hours ago, beckettcat said:

I have a relatively simple question. Would we be able to fill a water cooling system with something other than water for better thermals?

As far as I can tell, water is used in cooling systems because of it's high volumetric heat capacity. But there are substances with higher volumetric heat capacity, like ammonia, hydrogen, or helium. Do you guys think filling a water cooling system with these would improve it's thermals?

Ultimately, you will need to cool the said liquid medium. Since you are then relying on the copper fins of radiators etc, then you will be limited by the air/copper interface. At the end of the day, water cooling is still air cooling (unless you use chillers, for example) 

[Lathlaer]

Amaze, no one mentioned liquid mercury yet which seems to be a recurring theme when talking about alternative fluids

[lewdicrous]

16 hours ago, Lathlaer said:

Amaze, no one mentioned liquid mercury yet which seems to be a recurring theme when talking about alternative fluids

Mercury is electrically conductive and is about 13 times denser than water, not to mention that its salts are toxic.

Oh and mercury would form an amalgam when it comes in contact with aluminum and cooper (and other metals) so it will ruin a lot of your parts.

[Lathlaer]

3 hours ago, lewdicrous said:

Mercury is electrically conductive and is about 13 times denser than water, not to mention that its salts are toxic.

Oh and mercury would form an amalgam when it comes in contact with aluminum and cooper (and other metals) so it will ruin a lot of your parts.

I know that, I'm just laughing because liquid mercury based cooling seems to come back like a boomerang every time there is a talk about different things that can cool your system.

[andrewmp6]

To use any of that you would have to custom make every single piece of the whole system and not really worth the work.