I would agree on that,organic compounds tend to react with each other, i would be more concerned with fluid reacting with organics in loop ( tubes, rubber,gaskets, o rings etc) also waterblocks and are build and optimised around water based coolants and their physical properties, worth to test if coolant is not to viscous for block`s fins, that fluid could have different density and flow through blocks might not be optimal.Also pump behaviour might be different.The fluid might be designed to work in different conditions ( different temperature ranges and different pressure etc) and might not be optimal for loop.If you dad spare/old parts it could be fun to test but not on main pc.
Not to mention that all the cooling block, fitting manufactures would void their warranty if you didn't use a approved coolant, the risks just seem too high to me, o-rings are another issue made from varying compositions that could work at first but over time degrade at a accelerated rate causing leaks or like the impeller in the pump could slowly degrade adding debris to the coolant that would plug up small passages like the radiator tubes, it all might work out fine but I ask the question again why would you want to risk the expensive custom loop and your pc components by not using the correct coolant, this ain't a 90's toyota corolla that your just driving around.
Another concern with Mercury is its tendency to react to metals, it may or may not damage an aluminum part if it isn't finished properly or gets scratched.
Don't forget you can do copper tubing solving that issue.
I'm sure you guys are way ahead of me here, but remember that automotive cooling systems are designed to keep the engine at a consistent temp that is much too high for computers (100C?). I've no idea how the Evans coolant would perform, but there is a chance it would be considerably less efficient than water. You may end up with something way too hot. Worth trying, though; sounds like a neat idea, and hopefully the principles of auto cooling won't apply to the coolant.
I wrote to my regional supplier and he said he would not recommend it for PC cooling without going into detail as of why, only saying that his concern were about the anti-corrosion and additives mix combined to protect different type of rubber tubing and that the coolant were made to work with different quality of engines and not PC cooling. I guess that he doesn't directly tell what it is that wouldn't make it work, so if someone was crazy (me?) enough to still try and pull it off it might work or someone gets to say "I told you so".
Honestly did not think about it. Can you not get full metal blocks?
@OscarS it might be expensive, but whatbyou could do is buy old water cooling stuff, cheaper the better and set up a loop not in a PC just by its self and run it for a while to see what happens. A sacrificial loop... For science?
i would think there are 100% metal waterblocks. It is just something to think about, as the ones i have seen have a plastic top.
typical motor gets to an operating temp of 98c, and usually a starting temp from cold of 68c. so not really good for PC applications.
You do understand that the coolant doesn't make the temperature that high right? The coolant is just capable of absorbing that that much thermal capacity. The thermostat in the motor opens and closes to restrict flow to keep the temperature at the optimum levels.
Surely if the fluid's viscosity isn't a problem and it's not going to react with anything, if it's got a higher specific heat capacity, it'll be a better coolant. No?
If all those things are true then maybe, the efficiency of a cooling system has less to do with the type of coolant used and more to do with the volume of coolant moved and the ability of the radiator to transfer that heat from the coolant to the air which is based on the square inches of surface material the coolant is exposed to, the amount and composition of fin material used in the radiator which is the FPI or fins per inch, then the volume of air moved across the fins to carry the heat away, the speed the coolant is flowing through the system vs the volume of coolant being moved.
The type of coolant is just for component compatibility to resist corrosion, and a little thing known in the cooling system world as electrolysis which can happen when you have dissimilar metals in a cooling system that basically over time will create a slight electrical charge, let conventional Ethylene glycol or propylene glycol go too long and it will turn slightly acidic and you now have everything you need to make a battery. (ie dissimilar metals, and acid)
In the automotive world along with the computer world there is no such thing as a superior coolant, it's all snake oil, if the type of coolant makes a difference then your cooling solution is marginal for the application at best.
Yeah, so it's going to take more thermal energy from the CPU/GPU/whatever you're cooling before they reach a temperature balance. The heat capacity ratio's heavier on the coolant's side.
If I got 1L of a fluid with the SHC of 100J/degrees/L at say, 30 degrees, then mixed it with another 1L of the same fluid but at 20 degrees, I'd have 5000J there, spread over 2L, so it'd be 25 degrees overall.
If I again got 1L of the same fluid at 30 degrees, then mixed it with 1L of a different fluid with a SHC of say, 200J/degrees/L at 20 degrees, I'd have 7000J, but a mean (average) SHC of 150J/degree/L. Leaving me with an overall temperature of 23 and a third degrees.
It's that or like everything I think I've learnt in physics is wrong.
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I'm now about to buy a cheap second loop and getting some tubing and stuff, sub 50 USD project. I'll just need to wait for the seller to return to me and having to change my coolant in my car and we'll on our way. For science! :P
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Also I'll be using an old system for the project, just if something fails it's wont be a disaster.
from what i getting, i might be wrong. your cpu will need to get hotter before the coolant even changes temp (absorbs the heat). and then your rad will need to work longer to bring those temps down (changeit to ambient temps).
please guys, dont do it.
you're not the first one to think of it.
I've used it in previous car projects and it works in that application though I only used it where there was a specific benefit.
The selling point in an automotive use are the corrosion resistance. Claimed lack of resultant water vapour which reduces hot spots or localised boiling within the engine and reduced pump cavitation. A side effect is the system also tends to run at a very reduced pressure which can be useful in some circumstances.
I don't think the coolant is actually any better than a good water/coolant mix at removing heat and I doubt you'll get any of the claimed benefits, apart from maybe the corrosion resistance, in a PC cooling system.
First off, that threat didn't mention this product at all. They only mentioned the standard water glycol mixture that most cars come with. Second they mention that coolant isn't used on race cars for thermal reasons which is wrong. The racers would use it if they could. The tracks ban it's use to make cleaning up the track after blown radiators or accidents to speed up cleanup.
I'm not saying this product would work better, but people are posting on here how terrible it would be without any first hand, or even second hand data.
To the OP, I want to thank you for setting up a test loop to test it and I plan on doing one myself once I get a place to do it.