Innovative Cooling Solution
Researchers have developed a new, cost-effective cooling solution for computers that involves a saltwater solution. The solution is based on lithium bromide salt, which has the ability to absorb water and remove heat generated by a computer’s central processing units.
Efficient Design
The system, designed by Wei Wu and his team at the City University of Hong Kong, utilizes a porous membrane to contain the lithium bromide solution, allowing only water vapor to pass through. This setup ensures that no salty solution seeps through to the computer’s electronics. Additionally, a metal heat sink is added to efficiently transfer heat away from the computing device.
Enhanced Performance
The cooling system enables computer processors to draw more power during intensive computing without overheating. It also has the ability to replenish its water and reset during idle periods, ensuring quick recovery of its cooling capacity.
Cost-Effective Solution
Compared to alternative passive cooling systems, such as chromium-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), the salt solution provides significantly longer cooling time at a fraction of the cost. Testing showed that the salt cooling system improved the computer processor’s average input power – and therefore computing performance – by almost 33%.
Potential Applications
This innovative passive cooling technology could benefit personal computing devices, computer servers in data centers, batteries, solar cells, and buildings. Its cost-effectiveness and efficiency make it a promising solution for various applications.
The new saltwater cooling system offers a promising solution for improving computer performance while ensuring efficient and cost-effective cooling.
