Hello again,
That time of year has come around again, it's just a little too chilly at night to be under cars or in the workshop so I've had it find a project for the indoors. After some perusing for slightly out of the ordinary projects I happened, yet again, on XtremeSystem.org forums and a forum called Chilled Water. I highly recommend you look over the sticky's there as they cover this a lot better than I'll be able to.
The basic idea is pretty simple though, use a refrigerant compressor, condenser and evaporator to create sub freezing temperatures then, unlike direct phase change, to chill a liquid and then use that liquid to chill whatever parts of your PC you so desire.
The benefits here are:
1) extremely cold temperatures, similar to single stage phase change and probably better than any off the shelf phase change.
2) Flexibility based on needs and skill level. These can vary from the super simple like mine, to the ridiculously complex.
I chose to go the uber-simple way as I was a complete stranger to this right up till I decided to build one. The basic ingredients for the version I'm building are:
1) A window AC unit, preferably right around 5000BTU's and in good shape.
2) A good cooler, there are too many options here to list them all as I'll go over later.
3) Some basic hand tools for the simplest build and some power tools if you really want to jazz it up.
4) The Liquid, Continue on for more details, there is an entire section on this.
5) A pump, preferably not a standard grade water cooling pump as we'll go into more later.
6) Water Block(s), to each his own here though there are a few things to be wary of.
7) Tubing, again the standard for water cooling need not apply; we'll be dealing with solvents and sub0freezing temperatures.
Ok, so you got all the goodies, let?s get to work. WAIT maybe we should go over a few things first. Let?s start with your AC unit. They are truly not all built equally. There are a LOT of different variables and I'll attempt to address them all individually.
-----------------------------------AC UNIT------------------------------------------------------
Labeled Picture
Refrigerant, aka the good stuff, is the actual material used to create the sub-freezing temperatures by being pushed into the high side and condensed into a liquid, then flow restricted and evaporated. The most popular used in AC units till just a couple years ago was R-22, also known as propane, yup, propane. R-22 is unfortunately very bad for the environment and therefore no longer available in most parts of the world for use as a refrigerant. If your system purges at some point things get a lot more complicated as it will have to be re-filled by someone licensed to do so. The basic license is available for free and online but, only covers certain refrigerants. I HIGHLY recommend finding a nearby AC shop and paying them to do it for you! Any refrigerant I know of is pretty highly toxic so, if you work on this inside take caution to not break any of the seals. And I do recommend wearing eye protection as well as gloves while working directly with the AC system. If you do accidentally or intentionally purge the system back away quickly and make every attempt to not inhale the gases. Make sure you have immediate ventilation. If you have animals make sure they're not around while working as the fumes could be fatal in a large enough dose, there is no oxygen in these refrigerants. I will not be held liable for any personal injury or property damage due to the accidental or intentional purging of coolant from your system.
The compressor: does as it says and compresses the liquid. This creates a great deal of pressure on what is termed the high side of the loop. Any gas can be made into a liquid with enough pressure, that?s where the compressor comes in.
The Condenser, the main piece of the high side of the loop. The Condenser is pressurized by the compressor and this is where the gas turns to liquid, size does matter but, is not king in a properly designed unit. This has to be cooled at all times, though the actual amount of cooling needed varies based on the temperature of the entire system and whether it's just attempting to maintain a temperature on the low side or if it's currently pulling the temperature down.
The Evaporator, this is fairly self-explanatory, this is where the liquid evaporates into gas. This is the actual phase change that is being used to cool the liquid. Just like in open air, anything that evaporates creates a cooling effect and the lower the boiling point the lower the temperature your system is going to be capable of. There are a few evaporator options but, for the sake of this thread, we'll just be using the one built into our window AC unit.
The flow restrictor, there are two basic types, a TVX or a valve that varies the flow based on the temperatures in the line just before the compressor, and a capillary tube which is basically just a very thin and long piece of tubing in line between the condenser and the evaporator that statically controls the flow. A TVX valve is highly regarded as the best way to go but, a capillary tube is substantially less expensive and what will be on most window AC units, like mine.
Motor and Fans. There will generally just be one big motor in the middle of the unit with a shaft that passes through it to run two separate fans, one for the condenser and one for the evaporator. This can either be slightly modified and re-used in the new chiller or discarded, I chose to hang on to it and just modify it slightly. We will no longer be needing the fan on the evaporator side so it will be removed, there must always be active cooling on the condenser side, so be sure to have a back-up plan if your motor/fan are either not working or are going to be removed.
That?s pretty much it. I'll have pictures of each component up later this morning. On to the fun part! Well, maybe not quite yet, we have some more component selection to do.
----------------------------------------Cooler--------------------------------------------
This is where your exact purpose really comes into play. There are two basic options here:
1) a small cooler, just large enough to fit your evaporator. This option gives you the fastest pull down time(time to get your liquid to the desired temperature) but, the compressor will have to run more often if not all the time to keep the liquid cool.
2) A LARGE COOLER will take an exponentially greater amount of time to get the liquid cool but, depending on acceptable temperature variations, can stay cool for a LONG time, therefore meaning less on time for the compressor.
I went with a smaller cooler, just large enough for my compressor however; I think I'll be adding a secondary reservoir later on, so that I'll be able to shut-off my compressor. Probably going to be a 2 or 3 gallon addition.
-------------------------------------------The Liquid-----------------------------------------
Here is where the warnings really start. The liquid described here-in is highly flammable as well as having somewhat toxic vapors and is quite poisonous! Some states require you to be 18 in order to even purchase certain ingredients. This is a fun project but, care must be taken in the handling and containment of these chemicals. I will not be held responsible for any personal injury or property damage sustained from the improper handling or containment of these chemicals.
The recipes vary a lot depending on temperature but, there are some basic components.
1) Denatured Alcohol, also called SLX. Highly flammable but, with an extremely low freezing point.
2) Distilled water, absorbs and releases temperature much more quickly than the denatured alcohol but, with a 0C/32F freezing point it can not be taken below freezing alone.
3) Antifreeze. Not actually used for it's propylene glycol component to prevent freezing but, used to help prevent galvanic corrosion, there are at least 4 different metals in most evaporators and there can be more, plus the metals used in your cooling loop. Without this your system is likely to, over time, eat itself to death.
There are other options obviously but, these are what I'm using and given there success and their recommendations by other people using them, there what I'll recommend as well. The mix I'm using will be 50%SLX, 45% Distilled Water and 5% antifreeze.
-------------------------------------Pump-------------------------------------------------
Here the possibilities become nearly limitless. Most every recommendation to me has been a pond pump of one kind or another. I won't make any recommendations here as I have very limited experience with any of them but, I'll list the things to look for and to avoid.
Flow rate is extremely important. I've been told the basic minimum is 200GPH free flowing. The liquid being used is thicker than water at room temperature and quite a bit thicker at negative temperatures so, you will not be achieving the rated flow of the pump, that?s why the minimum is so high. I chose to go with a pump that flowed 375GPH.
Seals, you want as few seals as possible, mag drives are ideal as they don't have a seal going from the impeller to the motor but, they can still have seals elsewhere that will have to be take care of. O-rings will fail at sub-freezing temperatures so they will have to be removed and a cold temp sealant or epoxy will have to be used in their place.
In lines are generally suggested as they're not that hard to insulate and there will be no chance of the motor freezing. A submersible will not need any insulation but, will dump the motor heat into the coolant and could freeze up if the temps drop low enough. It's up to you.
--------------------------------------------Water Blocks---------------------------------------
At long last I?m calling time on the e-mails I?ve been waiting for. Amaizingly I only got a response from one company, XSPC. And beyond that I got a reply from one of their standard e-mail support guys who couldn?t say for sure so he checked with one of the design engineers. Here is my rather opinion filled breakdown of the current blocks out now as it pertains to a chiller set-up. This is not all the same as you would want to reference for a regular water cooling setup. Please read Aigomorla?s sticky for information on standard water cooling.
XSPC: They get to go first because they?re the only company I heard back from. According to an XSPC rep who checked with one of the design engineers they only test their equipment to -5C but, given their construction method it should function without flaw to ~-25C. Why is this so different from the others? It is not disassemblable block. The brass top and copper bottom are machined to within 0 tolerances and pressed together. A connection like this is theoretically fully hermetic. Furthermore the expansion/contraction rates for brass and copper are so close that even with the huge temperature fluctuations a system like this will be exposed to; there is no need for any o-rings between the two halves of the block unlike all other designs. The major drawback to this design is that it?s not disassemblable. If something gets lodged in it or were there to be an algae buildup or if corrosion ever becomes a problem the block is sealed, the best you can do is flush it out. This block is very high flowing as well, it flows just slightly less than the D-tek but, more than the GTX.
D-tek Fuzion: Great performing block for water cooling but, it?s delrin top rules it out if you?re going below -10-15C as there is a chance it will crack. Besides that or if there were to be a metal top every produced for it, it would be the way to go. It?s the highest flowing block that I?ve seen flowcharts for and the pinnacle of customizable with options for factory supported accelerator nozzles and non-factory supported bowing.
Apogee GTX: As far as I can see it, this block only has 2 issues. It comes from the factory bowed but, if running below ~15C the o-ring could fail and with the solvents used it could fail in time even above that temperature so it has to be removed which takes the bow out of the block. Secondly it comes with an aluminum top. While galvanic corrosion should not be an issue, aluminum has an expansion/contraction rate a couple times that of the copper base so sealing it *could* prove to be an issue. If budget is less of an issue then there is a copper top available for it, for an additional $40. I just can?t see spending $100 with shipping for a waterblock when some of it?s contenders are half the price.
EK Supreme: Another fantastic performing water block pulled from the competition for having an acetal top. This would have been my choice were it to include a brass or copper top.
Thermalright XWB-1: Finally we have the new kid on the block from thermalright. This block is a copper top and base with a steel center plate. This is a great block for the purposes of a chiller given the right combination of components. This block is one of the most restrictive out right now and absolutely the most restrictive on this list. The upside here is that most of these chiller set-ups use obscenely big pumps that flow in excess of what most any pump used for standard water cooling. The major advantage here is that the block is completely disassemblable. It does use an o-ring between the bottom of the block and the steel plate but, none between the steel plate and the top. This o-ring will need to be replaced if dipping below ~15C and I would recommend sealing between the top of the block and the steel plate as steel does expand/contract slightly quicker than the copper.
Prepping your block:
So you picked a block. If it?s the XSPC good for you, throw your barbs in, silicon around where the barbs meet the block and skip ahead to insulation. If you bought any of the other or even ones not on this list, continue reading. Now is when that plan of yours comes into big play, how cold are you going to be running? If it?s above -15C then you got off easy and should be able to skip ahead to insulation; if you?d like some extra insurance please, read on.
The main issue that arises with block preparation is the o-rings; they just will not stand up if you?re going really cold. They?ll either shrink and leak or crack and leak. There are two basic options for replacing them. RTV sealant available at any automotive store is the method I chose. It is a rubber compound but, it?s specially formulated to tolerate extreme temperatures and chemicals. Its primary use is to seal coolant and or oil passages in engines and is often used to help seal head gaskets. The other option is a low temp silicone. Readily available at most home-improvement or hardware stores it?s available in colored or clear and in many different formulations. Just make sure to look for the special ones that can be applied down to -35F, standard silicone 1 or 2 could crack at the lowest temperatures we go. Also make sure to seal where the barbs meet the block, just in case.
---------------------------------------Tubing----------------------------------------------
This one is fairly simple, you HAVE to get tubing with a very low brittle point and with high resistance to chemicals. Tygon has two tubings I can recommend, the Silver tubing and the 2075 ultra chemical resistant. Both should stand up to the low temperatures and solvents being used. I went with the silver as its lower priced and I really don't care to see in as the tubing has to be insulated anyway and the silver should help insulate, it's also antimicrobial, not that anything could survive in this concoction anyways but, it can't hurt right?
I?ve recently learned about another option that is probably more readily available, especially in Europe. It?s called Pex and is used in commercial and residential building and is available in ½? ID ¾? OD and is highly chemical and temperature resistant. It is however not very flexible due to it?s chemical make-up. It can however be repaired if kinked. All that has to be done if kinked is to heat it up with a heat gun or blow torch till it gets nearly clear then let it set, it will actually re-align the molecules in the tubing and make it stronger than it was before it kinked however, completely inflexible.
------------------------------------What we're actually doing here----------------------------------
I intentionally haven't gone over how this whole monstrosity works and how it's done till now to make sure that everyone reading has a basic idea of how each part works before we explore how they work in conjunction with each other.
What we're actually doing here is submerging the evaporator core in the solvent filled cooler then pumping the solvent through the water block(s). You're smart so I'm sure you've figured that much out by now but, how does that actually work?
All refrigeration systems need some kind of load in order to work properly. As an AC unit that load was the air being pulled through the evaporator core. As a chiller that load is put on it by the solvent, which is being heated in turn by the CPU. That load is what is going to determine the absolute lowest temperature achievable.
*That's all for now folks, the build log and pictures will begin this evening after a trip to the hardware store*
That time of year has come around again, it's just a little too chilly at night to be under cars or in the workshop so I've had it find a project for the indoors. After some perusing for slightly out of the ordinary projects I happened, yet again, on XtremeSystem.org forums and a forum called Chilled Water. I highly recommend you look over the sticky's there as they cover this a lot better than I'll be able to.
The basic idea is pretty simple though, use a refrigerant compressor, condenser and evaporator to create sub freezing temperatures then, unlike direct phase change, to chill a liquid and then use that liquid to chill whatever parts of your PC you so desire.
The benefits here are:
1) extremely cold temperatures, similar to single stage phase change and probably better than any off the shelf phase change.
2) Flexibility based on needs and skill level. These can vary from the super simple like mine, to the ridiculously complex.
I chose to go the uber-simple way as I was a complete stranger to this right up till I decided to build one. The basic ingredients for the version I'm building are:
1) A window AC unit, preferably right around 5000BTU's and in good shape.
2) A good cooler, there are too many options here to list them all as I'll go over later.
3) Some basic hand tools for the simplest build and some power tools if you really want to jazz it up.
4) The Liquid, Continue on for more details, there is an entire section on this.
5) A pump, preferably not a standard grade water cooling pump as we'll go into more later.
6) Water Block(s), to each his own here though there are a few things to be wary of.
7) Tubing, again the standard for water cooling need not apply; we'll be dealing with solvents and sub0freezing temperatures.
Ok, so you got all the goodies, let?s get to work. WAIT maybe we should go over a few things first. Let?s start with your AC unit. They are truly not all built equally. There are a LOT of different variables and I'll attempt to address them all individually.
-----------------------------------AC UNIT------------------------------------------------------
Labeled Picture
Refrigerant, aka the good stuff, is the actual material used to create the sub-freezing temperatures by being pushed into the high side and condensed into a liquid, then flow restricted and evaporated. The most popular used in AC units till just a couple years ago was R-22, also known as propane, yup, propane. R-22 is unfortunately very bad for the environment and therefore no longer available in most parts of the world for use as a refrigerant. If your system purges at some point things get a lot more complicated as it will have to be re-filled by someone licensed to do so. The basic license is available for free and online but, only covers certain refrigerants. I HIGHLY recommend finding a nearby AC shop and paying them to do it for you! Any refrigerant I know of is pretty highly toxic so, if you work on this inside take caution to not break any of the seals. And I do recommend wearing eye protection as well as gloves while working directly with the AC system. If you do accidentally or intentionally purge the system back away quickly and make every attempt to not inhale the gases. Make sure you have immediate ventilation. If you have animals make sure they're not around while working as the fumes could be fatal in a large enough dose, there is no oxygen in these refrigerants. I will not be held liable for any personal injury or property damage due to the accidental or intentional purging of coolant from your system.
The compressor: does as it says and compresses the liquid. This creates a great deal of pressure on what is termed the high side of the loop. Any gas can be made into a liquid with enough pressure, that?s where the compressor comes in.
The Condenser, the main piece of the high side of the loop. The Condenser is pressurized by the compressor and this is where the gas turns to liquid, size does matter but, is not king in a properly designed unit. This has to be cooled at all times, though the actual amount of cooling needed varies based on the temperature of the entire system and whether it's just attempting to maintain a temperature on the low side or if it's currently pulling the temperature down.
The Evaporator, this is fairly self-explanatory, this is where the liquid evaporates into gas. This is the actual phase change that is being used to cool the liquid. Just like in open air, anything that evaporates creates a cooling effect and the lower the boiling point the lower the temperature your system is going to be capable of. There are a few evaporator options but, for the sake of this thread, we'll just be using the one built into our window AC unit.
The flow restrictor, there are two basic types, a TVX or a valve that varies the flow based on the temperatures in the line just before the compressor, and a capillary tube which is basically just a very thin and long piece of tubing in line between the condenser and the evaporator that statically controls the flow. A TVX valve is highly regarded as the best way to go but, a capillary tube is substantially less expensive and what will be on most window AC units, like mine.
Motor and Fans. There will generally just be one big motor in the middle of the unit with a shaft that passes through it to run two separate fans, one for the condenser and one for the evaporator. This can either be slightly modified and re-used in the new chiller or discarded, I chose to hang on to it and just modify it slightly. We will no longer be needing the fan on the evaporator side so it will be removed, there must always be active cooling on the condenser side, so be sure to have a back-up plan if your motor/fan are either not working or are going to be removed.
That?s pretty much it. I'll have pictures of each component up later this morning. On to the fun part! Well, maybe not quite yet, we have some more component selection to do.
----------------------------------------Cooler--------------------------------------------
This is where your exact purpose really comes into play. There are two basic options here:
1) a small cooler, just large enough to fit your evaporator. This option gives you the fastest pull down time(time to get your liquid to the desired temperature) but, the compressor will have to run more often if not all the time to keep the liquid cool.
2) A LARGE COOLER will take an exponentially greater amount of time to get the liquid cool but, depending on acceptable temperature variations, can stay cool for a LONG time, therefore meaning less on time for the compressor.
I went with a smaller cooler, just large enough for my compressor however; I think I'll be adding a secondary reservoir later on, so that I'll be able to shut-off my compressor. Probably going to be a 2 or 3 gallon addition.
-------------------------------------------The Liquid-----------------------------------------
Here is where the warnings really start. The liquid described here-in is highly flammable as well as having somewhat toxic vapors and is quite poisonous! Some states require you to be 18 in order to even purchase certain ingredients. This is a fun project but, care must be taken in the handling and containment of these chemicals. I will not be held responsible for any personal injury or property damage sustained from the improper handling or containment of these chemicals.
The recipes vary a lot depending on temperature but, there are some basic components.
1) Denatured Alcohol, also called SLX. Highly flammable but, with an extremely low freezing point.
2) Distilled water, absorbs and releases temperature much more quickly than the denatured alcohol but, with a 0C/32F freezing point it can not be taken below freezing alone.
3) Antifreeze. Not actually used for it's propylene glycol component to prevent freezing but, used to help prevent galvanic corrosion, there are at least 4 different metals in most evaporators and there can be more, plus the metals used in your cooling loop. Without this your system is likely to, over time, eat itself to death.
There are other options obviously but, these are what I'm using and given there success and their recommendations by other people using them, there what I'll recommend as well. The mix I'm using will be 50%SLX, 45% Distilled Water and 5% antifreeze.
-------------------------------------Pump-------------------------------------------------
Here the possibilities become nearly limitless. Most every recommendation to me has been a pond pump of one kind or another. I won't make any recommendations here as I have very limited experience with any of them but, I'll list the things to look for and to avoid.
Flow rate is extremely important. I've been told the basic minimum is 200GPH free flowing. The liquid being used is thicker than water at room temperature and quite a bit thicker at negative temperatures so, you will not be achieving the rated flow of the pump, that?s why the minimum is so high. I chose to go with a pump that flowed 375GPH.
Seals, you want as few seals as possible, mag drives are ideal as they don't have a seal going from the impeller to the motor but, they can still have seals elsewhere that will have to be take care of. O-rings will fail at sub-freezing temperatures so they will have to be removed and a cold temp sealant or epoxy will have to be used in their place.
In lines are generally suggested as they're not that hard to insulate and there will be no chance of the motor freezing. A submersible will not need any insulation but, will dump the motor heat into the coolant and could freeze up if the temps drop low enough. It's up to you.
--------------------------------------------Water Blocks---------------------------------------
At long last I?m calling time on the e-mails I?ve been waiting for. Amaizingly I only got a response from one company, XSPC. And beyond that I got a reply from one of their standard e-mail support guys who couldn?t say for sure so he checked with one of the design engineers. Here is my rather opinion filled breakdown of the current blocks out now as it pertains to a chiller set-up. This is not all the same as you would want to reference for a regular water cooling setup. Please read Aigomorla?s sticky for information on standard water cooling.
XSPC: They get to go first because they?re the only company I heard back from. According to an XSPC rep who checked with one of the design engineers they only test their equipment to -5C but, given their construction method it should function without flaw to ~-25C. Why is this so different from the others? It is not disassemblable block. The brass top and copper bottom are machined to within 0 tolerances and pressed together. A connection like this is theoretically fully hermetic. Furthermore the expansion/contraction rates for brass and copper are so close that even with the huge temperature fluctuations a system like this will be exposed to; there is no need for any o-rings between the two halves of the block unlike all other designs. The major drawback to this design is that it?s not disassemblable. If something gets lodged in it or were there to be an algae buildup or if corrosion ever becomes a problem the block is sealed, the best you can do is flush it out. This block is very high flowing as well, it flows just slightly less than the D-tek but, more than the GTX.
D-tek Fuzion: Great performing block for water cooling but, it?s delrin top rules it out if you?re going below -10-15C as there is a chance it will crack. Besides that or if there were to be a metal top every produced for it, it would be the way to go. It?s the highest flowing block that I?ve seen flowcharts for and the pinnacle of customizable with options for factory supported accelerator nozzles and non-factory supported bowing.
Apogee GTX: As far as I can see it, this block only has 2 issues. It comes from the factory bowed but, if running below ~15C the o-ring could fail and with the solvents used it could fail in time even above that temperature so it has to be removed which takes the bow out of the block. Secondly it comes with an aluminum top. While galvanic corrosion should not be an issue, aluminum has an expansion/contraction rate a couple times that of the copper base so sealing it *could* prove to be an issue. If budget is less of an issue then there is a copper top available for it, for an additional $40. I just can?t see spending $100 with shipping for a waterblock when some of it?s contenders are half the price.
EK Supreme: Another fantastic performing water block pulled from the competition for having an acetal top. This would have been my choice were it to include a brass or copper top.
Thermalright XWB-1: Finally we have the new kid on the block from thermalright. This block is a copper top and base with a steel center plate. This is a great block for the purposes of a chiller given the right combination of components. This block is one of the most restrictive out right now and absolutely the most restrictive on this list. The upside here is that most of these chiller set-ups use obscenely big pumps that flow in excess of what most any pump used for standard water cooling. The major advantage here is that the block is completely disassemblable. It does use an o-ring between the bottom of the block and the steel plate but, none between the steel plate and the top. This o-ring will need to be replaced if dipping below ~15C and I would recommend sealing between the top of the block and the steel plate as steel does expand/contract slightly quicker than the copper.
Prepping your block:
So you picked a block. If it?s the XSPC good for you, throw your barbs in, silicon around where the barbs meet the block and skip ahead to insulation. If you bought any of the other or even ones not on this list, continue reading. Now is when that plan of yours comes into big play, how cold are you going to be running? If it?s above -15C then you got off easy and should be able to skip ahead to insulation; if you?d like some extra insurance please, read on.
The main issue that arises with block preparation is the o-rings; they just will not stand up if you?re going really cold. They?ll either shrink and leak or crack and leak. There are two basic options for replacing them. RTV sealant available at any automotive store is the method I chose. It is a rubber compound but, it?s specially formulated to tolerate extreme temperatures and chemicals. Its primary use is to seal coolant and or oil passages in engines and is often used to help seal head gaskets. The other option is a low temp silicone. Readily available at most home-improvement or hardware stores it?s available in colored or clear and in many different formulations. Just make sure to look for the special ones that can be applied down to -35F, standard silicone 1 or 2 could crack at the lowest temperatures we go. Also make sure to seal where the barbs meet the block, just in case.
---------------------------------------Tubing----------------------------------------------
This one is fairly simple, you HAVE to get tubing with a very low brittle point and with high resistance to chemicals. Tygon has two tubings I can recommend, the Silver tubing and the 2075 ultra chemical resistant. Both should stand up to the low temperatures and solvents being used. I went with the silver as its lower priced and I really don't care to see in as the tubing has to be insulated anyway and the silver should help insulate, it's also antimicrobial, not that anything could survive in this concoction anyways but, it can't hurt right?
I?ve recently learned about another option that is probably more readily available, especially in Europe. It?s called Pex and is used in commercial and residential building and is available in ½? ID ¾? OD and is highly chemical and temperature resistant. It is however not very flexible due to it?s chemical make-up. It can however be repaired if kinked. All that has to be done if kinked is to heat it up with a heat gun or blow torch till it gets nearly clear then let it set, it will actually re-align the molecules in the tubing and make it stronger than it was before it kinked however, completely inflexible.
------------------------------------What we're actually doing here----------------------------------
I intentionally haven't gone over how this whole monstrosity works and how it's done till now to make sure that everyone reading has a basic idea of how each part works before we explore how they work in conjunction with each other.
What we're actually doing here is submerging the evaporator core in the solvent filled cooler then pumping the solvent through the water block(s). You're smart so I'm sure you've figured that much out by now but, how does that actually work?
All refrigeration systems need some kind of load in order to work properly. As an AC unit that load was the air being pulled through the evaporator core. As a chiller that load is put on it by the solvent, which is being heated in turn by the CPU. That load is what is going to determine the absolute lowest temperature achievable.
*That's all for now folks, the build log and pictures will begin this evening after a trip to the hardware store*
I should have ordered the block sooner but, I was really hoping for more of a manufacturer response. I'll take pictures of the insulation prep I do this morning and have it up by the end of the day. I've dropped the motherboard in the case but, I can't find any specs on the height of the block w/ barbs... IF I could find that I would know for sure ahead of time.
Facebook
Twitter