Oil cooling

[mimi93]

hey there. Just a quick question.
Ive done a lot of research into oil cooling and am pretty intrigued about it.

I want to try it out on an 8yr old pc I have laying about but the one thing I am not sure about is the oils ability to eat through plastics and rubber eventually causing a system failure. What kind of oils can I use to prevent this from happening.

I know that oil is a crappy cooling alternative but the system is so old and low power that that is a non issue for me. I just want to create a awesome conversation piece that isint too expensive. From what I understand is all I need to buy is a fishtank and the oil and some way to suspend the HDD and CD tray out of the oil.

the most load this system will handle is a private minecraft server for me and a few buds.

 

[raytseng]

http://www.pugetsystems.com/submerged.php


or why not google oil cooling and see other people's projects

 

[mimi93]

Ive already done that. The one thing I dont seem to be able to find much info on is the oil corroding plastics. I just want to know what kind of oil I could use to prevent that. Puget systems use oil from this website: http://store.steoil.com/mineral-oil-pc-kit/ however it is a little to expensive and in too large a quantity for my quaint little system

 

[raytseng]

Mineral Oil
Available at your local hardware store, farm supply store, or vet clinic. We actually recommend using your local vet! Mineral
oil from a veterinarian will be medical grade, ensuring the highest purity

 

[mimi93]

So from what I understand is I need mineral oil that is as free from impurities as possible? are there different "levels" or % of purity? if so what would be recommended

 

[rubix_1011]

Looks like this topic has popped up once again.

Please read through the past links- this isn't something new and it's often discussed on this forum.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/276288-29-mineral-links

Adding this one to the list as well.

 

[hella-d]

Oil is NOT a crappy coolant, and in fact a very efficiant one..

 

[rubix_1011]

If this were the case, wouldn't internal combustion engines be oil cooled in some manner instead of watercooled?

Oil is a poor thermal conductor- it takes a long time to absorb heat and likewise takes a long time to dissipate it. It also has a poor specific heat - it doesn't have the ability to 'hold' as much heat energy as water.

This exact discussion is outlined in the watercooling sticky, if you are interested.

 

[hella-d]

your forgetting something....

it depends on the oil your refering too, and MANY engines are assisted with cooling by.................... THE OIL, SUPRISE!

 

[rubix_1011]

Where is that oil being sent to dissipate the heat it absorbs? Not an 'oil cooler' as the small volume of cooling that this provides does not account for the amount of heat in watts being constantly produced by the burning of fuel...and many vehicles do not even have them. The cooling of the oil takes place as the water journals in the block and head absorb the heat from the rest of the engine.


Thermal conductivity (larger values are better):
Engine Oil, unused 0.145
Water, Fresh 0.609
http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/thermal-conductivity-liquids-d_1260.html



From the sticky:

Thermal Conductivity of Common Cooling Mediums (@~20°C; W/mK)
Higher values are better

Water...............................................0.610
Mineral Oil........................................0.162
Alcohol(Ethyl, Isopropyl, Buytl)...........0.161-0.200
Ethylene Glycol..................................0.258
Air...................................................0.0257


Specific Heat of Common Cooling Mediums (@~20°C;kJ/kg.K)
Higher values are better

Water...............................................4.19
Air...................................................1.00
Mineral Oil........................................1.67
Copper.............................................0.093
Ethylene glycol..................................2.36

 

[mimi93]

Best answer selected by mimi93.

 

[hella-d]

Congratz on the best answer award raytseng

 

[rubix_1011]

This topic has been closed by Rubix_1011