Question Sheet & coil

[DynV]

How effective at radiating heat would be a ~8 x 12" thin copper sheet with a fastened thin copper pipe in a coil fashion? After doing the former, I'd take a copper-color suitcase with a recess

then place the sheet so the piping would be like

with 2 holes at the bottom (just like the former image), then fasten the sheet so the suitcase would appear flush

hopefully water tight. I'd then get a water cooling kit, minus the radiator to plug in the piping I made.

Oh! Perhaps placing heat reflective material at the bottom of the recess would be better, so the inside of the suitcase would be even cooler.

 

[CountMike]

You need a lot of surface, water to copper and copper to air. With flat surfaces like that it would be very inefficient. That's why coolers have fins to multiply surface area within given volume.
Than there is matter of total volume of water/liquid and copper, you need a lot of volume to soak the heat even before it gets transferred to air or it will heat up very fast and not be able to cool down fast enough, much oscillation would occur.
Oscillation is no good, creates cavitation and too fast movement of liquid which doesn't transfer energy efficiently plus makes bibles that are great insulator.

 

[rubix_1011]

So, you want to create a passive heat exchanger?

Can you provide more detail on what is being cooled, what the pump specs are, copper tubing (more info - size, thickness, total length)?

It seems like a cool project, just would like to know more about it so we can help.

 

[DynV]

My main concern is a portable gaming solution when I go visit family, where there is a HDMI television and spare peripherals; something like a Mini-ITX , Mini-PC (ie: GIGABYTE BRIX) or NUC (I'd prefer something that can be upgraded and I don't think NUCs can be). While I'm getting a 2nd system, I'd like for it to also work as a backup and when internet or power go off, for the latter, bringing it in restaurants; I don't think I'd be allowed with it and a regular display, on a power bar. So I need the kit to not stand out on occasion, and likely the majority of its use would not need to be inconspicuous (when at family or my residence). I have a non-functional laptop which I think its display is alright as I suspect its motherboard died; I'd get a laptop display controller and have it inside the suitcase, or whatever else I'd end up concealing the computer in. I'm thinking of getting one of those tablet cover with a keyboard that open like a book, and all the cables to that book-like thing in a sleeve like

(click for larger)
and I'd have a Bluetooth emitter/receptor at the top of the suitcase.

Passive is the key for anything visible, I could always make a hole on the side of the suitcase and deep enough inside so it's pretty hard to see, I could have a no-or-very-low-noise fan, if I can't find another way to get rid of enough heat. If fins are needed I'd try to have it so there's some aesthetic sense, perhaps making the recess bottom a dark color and getting the pipe, between the fins, of that same color.

If there is such a thing, I'd also like a very small UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply), that could support the system 5-10 mins, just long enough that if someone unplugged its power, I could save the game, or finish an email.

Update 1:
I just saw that UPS batteries generally won't last > 3 years and considering I probably would have little use at restaurants and the like, unless I find a pretty cheap UPS with a decent warranty, that it's not worth it.

 

[rubix_1011]

This almost sounds like a war-driving or some other discreet surveillance device, especially with the apparent need to have it hidden in a suitcase or other container - unless you want to have one of those big brick cases that you always see from 1980's/1990's movies where the CIA has a 'mobile computer'.

Also, if the power goes out, you might still have battery to power the device, but your network is going to be down because routers, switches and network gear require electricity, so you aren't going to very well be able to 'send that last email' unless this has the ability to switch to cellular data.

 

[DynV]

About UPS, please refer to Update 1 of my last message; anyway the game I've been playing for some time now crashes semi-regularly so it wouldn't be that much of a shock if my setup suddenly lost power. I think anyone that started primary school in the 80s will remember that kind of case being for a computer. I planned for the suitcase to have 2 compartments with one being smaller containing the keyboard, display and other things necessary to interface with the computer.

Do you have any advice for cooling for such a project? Any kind of fins that would be large enough at a decent/cheap price? Any no-or-very-low-noise fan powerful enough to not need water cooling (through a hole on the side of the suitcase as mentioned in my last message)?

 

[rubix_1011]

If this is going to be a low powered CPU, then a normal heatsink should work fine as long as there is airflow. An elaborate heatpipe/cooler like you are suggesting is only as feasible as the dissipation of heat without airflow over a static surface. Fanless coolers aren't as effective on higher load systems unless you account for the amount of wattage to be dissipated and account for exchange surface area.

Also, you would have to account for movement/travel of the complete system, which repeated impacts and jarring could cause separation of tubing or fittings. Not to say it is a guarantee, but it certainly needs to be considered in the design. Even a small AIO cooler could be a better solution than something overly complex, as long as the CPU wattage is within range and not overclocked.

 

[DynV]

It is for an almost decade-old 3D games, and I don't even need them to be at high settings; I assume modern computing could handle that without too much heat.

Also, you would have to account for movement/travel of the complete system, which repeated impacts and jarring could cause separation of tubing or fittings.

That's why on the OP I mentioned the pipes holes at the bottom and I planned to fasten everything off the bottom and have holes at the bottom of the suitcase.

Even a small AIO cooler could be a better solution than something overly complex[...]

I guess I could make a hole in the side of the suitcase big enough for that and make some kind of tunnel with light dissipating material (ie: velvet) deep enough so it would be quite difficult to see it unless directly facing it (and as it would mostly be close to the ground, that would be awkward of someone to do that) as long as it had no-or-very-low-noise fans. Do you know of such system for an affordable or cheap price?

Update 1:
Fixed typos fasted everything and misplaced dot.

 

[rubix_1011]

Which is the most important:

cooling the CPU (and also trust it is being cooled effectively)

-or -

making this as discreet as possible?

 

[truegenius]

For your type of use laptop is much better and cheaper option than this

 

[DynV]

For your type of use laptop is much better and cheaper option than this

The laptops that were suggested to me are out of my budget, feel free to join that discussion (in the other thread).

[...] most important [...] cooling [...]or[...] discreet as possible

That's complicated because for most of the planned usage, discretion won't be an issue, but when it's time for discretion, I'd prefer to focus on that even if it mean I should suspend the computer once in a while to let it cool down (the fans could be set to work even while it's suspended, meanwhile I'd check my emails on my cell or the like). Just brainstorming: Perhaps the water cooling system could have 2 sets of fan, 1 quiet, 1 regular?

 

[truegenius]

what is the size of that copper plate ?
Also what cpu/gpu will you be using in that rig ?

 

[DynV]

what is the size of that copper plate ?

[...] a ~8 x 12" thin copper sheet with a fastened thin copper pipe in a coil fashion[...]

Also what cpu/gpu will you be using in that rig ?

It is for an almost decade-old 3D games, and I don't even need them to be at high settings[...]

 

[truegenius]

typical 65w amd heatsink have very roughly 1500cm^2 area asisted by fan
your plate area is just 600.
means fi you place a table fan directed towards that copper plate then you will be able to cool a 25w load. if no active cooling then only 10w. means you won't even be able to cool athlon 200ge with that setup while sitting right in front of a table fan.

check this laptop, fits your budget, do what you want, much better than this "thing", you won't be kicked out of restaurants
https://www.newegg.ca/iron-gray-lenovo-thinkpad-v330-14arr-81b1001fus-mainstream/p/2WC-000J-00762

 

[DynV]

I realized only the most suspicion people, or the suitcase otherwise badly failed at being inconspicuous, would think to look under it. With non-skid feet as a spacer to let holes at the bottom intake air, and no-or-very-low-noise fans the same plane as the suitcase bottom in a duct curved to face the front, no one could see the fan movement unless looking at the bottom.

With aesthetic air outtakes hiding there's holes, perhaps a grid of small outtakes horn-loudspeaker-like, ie:

I think that beside the cable going from the suitcase to the book-like small case holding the thin display and keyboard, I think it would look like I'm going around with a suitcase; and the--overall--cooling will be normal: radiator & fan.

I'm not sure what kind of pump would be necessary for the pipe length necessary for such a project.