[HandBanana]

So, after browsing through the phase change section and pondering for a bit I have come up with this maybe not so crazy idea that might work, please refer to this little pic I sketched up:

1) You take an aftermarket heat sink with heat pipes
2) Cut the ends of all the heat pipes
3) Cut the appropriate length of copper tubing and solder it all together, so you have one long continuous coil going through the heat sink with an end open at each side.
4) Solder each end in line with that pipe that gets really could on an A/c unit.
5) Recharge the A/c unit.

My questions are, would this be possible & how well would it actually work? The only problem I can think of would be condensation, but I'm sure that could be taken care of with a little more brainstorming.

What are your thoughts OCN?

Edit: I also realize this is very similar to using a waterblock, since there is a lot more surface area being cooled on this take of the idea, I believe it will cool more efficiently.

 

[chronostorm]

I think the heatpipes might be a bit too thin for something like this

and also, odds are, using the AC with cut heatpipes makes the heatpipes useless for their normal function, making the fins probably kind of useless

 

[HandBanana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by chronostorm I think the heatpipes might be a bit too thin for something like this and also, odds are, using the AC with cut heatpipes makes the heatpipes useless for their normal function, making the fins probably kind of useless

I don't think you fully understand what I'm trying to do. Size of the heat pipes aside (I could just use a heat sink with those big 8mm heat pipes.) I wouldn't be using the heat pipes for what they are designed for originally. Essentially I would fuse all of the pipes into one long continuous tube that I would hook up inline with an a/c unit. The heat pipes would have whatever the a/c unit has in its pipes. The heat pipes would be looking somewhere along the lines of this

 

[tofumonster]

Interesting idea.. at the moment, I just feel like the work:gain ratio is depressingly small... Essentially what you're doing is using the heatsink as a large block..yes?

 

[HandBanana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tofumonster Interesting idea.. at the moment, I just feel like the work:gain ratio is depressingly small... Essentially what you're doing is using the heatsink as a large block..yes?

In a nutshell, yes.

 

[tofumonster]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HandBanana In a nutshell, yes.

Gotcha. I stand by my "depressingly small" statement, but hell, give it a whirl!

 

[i_hax]

Wouldn't this be less efficient than a normal phase unit? You are effectively cooling the air above the processor instead of just the processor...

 

[HandBanana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tofumonster Gotcha. I stand by my "depressingly small" statement, but hell, give it a whirl!

Well, I'm sure a regular wall a/c unit would be able to get to pretty low temps if setup like this. I would argue your statement, this could be a very cost effective phase change cooler.

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_hax Wouldn't this be less efficient than a normal phase unit? You are effectively cooling the air above the processor instead of just the processor...

Most likely yes, but its not a normal phase unit

Theoretically this would still cool much more efficiently than the highest end air-cooling or water-cooling solutions out there. Oh and since the processor is in contact with the big heat sink that's on top of it, it has to heat that up first before it can get any hotter. So "cooling the air above the processor" actually helps keep the processor cool too.

 

[wumpus]

I think you should do it so i can see the results.

 

[HandBanana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wumpus I think you should do it so i can see the results.

But alas, I have not the tools to do such a thing

Which is why I'm sharing my idea with you guys

 

[i_hax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HandBanana Most likely yes, but its not a normal phase unit Theoretically this would still cool much more efficiently than the highest end air-cooling or water-cooling solutions out there.

...but (and I say this constructively) then what is the point of running a compressor if you aren't going to cool the processor as efficiently & effectively as you possibly can?

You would just be dumping the cooling effort of the phase unit into the air... only to heat it with the compressor/efficiency loses. As I see, it's a lose-lose situation.

 

[W4LNUT5]

My friend and I though of doing something like this but with WC of fluorite instead of phase (he's a chemistry/physics major, and I a comp-sci major). But ultimately we decided that a waterblock should be more efficient in this case because it's what it was designed to do. It has more surface area contacting the cpu to exchange heat.

I could be wrong, we were just hypothesizing. If I had a spare hdt cooler like that, I might have tried

(or the cash for something even remotely close to fluorite for that matter. lol)

 

[HandBanana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by i_hax ...but (and I say this constructively) then what is the point of running a compressor if you aren't going to cool the processor as efficiently & effectively as you possibly can? You would just be dumping the cooling effort of the phase unit into the air... only to heat it with the compressor/efficiency loses. As I see, it's a lose-lose situation.

Hrmm... Well you do have a point, maybe this would have more use in a fully submerged rig? Like mineral oil or liquid silicone? The big fins on the heat sink would dissipate the excess cold into the liquid helping to cool all the other submerged components. This would also get rid of that condensation problem.

 

[wumpus]

If I had an extra heatsink I would try this with watercooling, but i dont.

If anyone wants to provide one, that would be nice too!

 

[HandBanana]

Woops double post D:!

 

[HandBanana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wumpus If I had an extra heatsink I would try this with watercooling, but i dont. If anyone wants to provide one, that would be nice too!

That sounds like a pretty good idea actually, I might be able to pull something like this off, just give me a few days to figure some plans out. I guess it would be like adding another radiator into the loop lol

 

[shurik06_83]

ok ac unit even the smalest window ac can hold 3-400w load at -20c
but window ac likes its power so ur power bill will be insaine after a month of 24/7 computeing at -20c

the pic up thir with the nice ice is of a chiller i built and i used a really small water cooler compresor that can still make the ice show up but wont leave u broke when its time to pay the power bill

so what am i saying if ur like Naja the original ocn A/c modder and ur cooling a small folding farm the ac is the way to go

but if u want cooling for just one computer the ac is to much its like driveing a big rig to ur crocery store u dont need that power

now the heat pipe it would be way too much work to conver the heatsink so it would work u will have to take the pipes out and put ur own in , in a proper loop and it wont be eficeint

now this will work as i did a littel bit of diging and looking that will be my next build to make this water block into a evap for a direct on die phase

 

[HandBanana]

Quote:

Originally Posted by shurik06_83 ok ac unit even the smalest window ac can hold 3-400w load at -20c but window ac likes its power so ur power bill will be insaine after a month of 24/7 computeing at -20c the pic up thir with the nice ice is of a chiller i built and i used a really small water cooler compresor that can still make the ice show up but wont leave u broke when its time to pay the power bill so what am i saying if ur like Naja the original ocn A/c modder and ur cooling a small folding farm the ac is the way to go but if u want cooling for just one computer the ac is to much its like driveing a big rig to ur crocery store u dont need that power now the heat pipe it would be way too much work to conver the heatsink so it would work u will have to take the pipes out and put ur own in , in a proper loop and it wont be eficeint now this will work as i did a littel bit of diging and looking that will be my next build to make this water block into a evap for a direct on die phase

Well then, I guess if I ever move into an apartment that offers free electricity, I know how I will be cooling my folding farm

 

[shurik06_83]

i am about 2-3 hours away so if u ever get that free power i can sort ur cooling problems out lol

the pic u posted up of the icey pipe is my chiller v2.0 its low power consumption 100W an hour if u run non stop at -20c about 30-50w an hour if u run it at subambient temp it makes almost no noise and i can hold down any i7 + the hotest gpu at any temp i want from -20c to +25c

the chiller V2.0 is all taken apart now and becomeing the chiller V2.5 made a difrent evap +rez the thing will all fit inside a computer case and suply chilled water to my phenomII and my gtx260 so i can stay sub ambient on the hotest summer days while owning noobs in mw2 and bfbc2

 

[OverShocked]

Yeah...this would not work with a heatpipe cooler.

The heatpipes have a wick siding on them tio enhance the capillary action happining in the cooler.

This material would break off and kill the compressor and clog the cap tube.

It is basically a phase change design...just with a heatsink instead of a classical evap that most of us use.