How lithium bromide helps in the fight against overheating.
Scientists from the City University of Hong Kong have discovered a new way to combat overheating of computer systems, which can make the cooling process more efficient and less expensive. The secret is to add salt to the water.
With the growing volume of data processing around the world, where more than 2 zettabytes of information is processed every week, the issue of heat removal is becoming more urgent. Huge computing power leaves a significant carbon footprint. For example, commercial cloud providers use cooling systems that consume billions of gallons of water a year to maintain optimal temperatures.
According to the MIT Press Reader, cooling processes consume more than 40% of the total electricity used by data centers, which in turn consume the same amount of electricity as 50 thousand households. Anthropologist Stephen Gonzalez Montserrat points out that the carbon footprint of cloud technology now exceeds that of the aviation industry.
Professor Wei Wu of the School of Energy and Environment at the University of Hong Kong, together with colleagues, has developed a system that improves on existing heat dissipation technologies. In a paper published on October 31 in the journal Device, Wu describes a process in which water with added lithium bromide uses evaporation and reabsorption to lower the temperature.
This process is "a passive thermoregulation strategy that relies on desorption of moisture from hygroscopic salt solutions through a protective membrane that allows only water vapor to pass through," says Wu. A porous membrane is installed in a structure that does not allow saline solution to come into contact with computer components, and a heat sink removes accumulated heat from sensitive electronics.
Wu compares the process to natural mechanisms, such as how mammals regulate their body temperature through sweating and rehydration. The high moisture absorption capacity and low cost of lithium bromide-treated water offer significant advantages over competing cooling strategies that use hydrogels and organometallic frameworks, which require time to regenerate and actively replenish water reserves.
Applying this process to a single computer, the researchers recorded a performance improvement of more than 32% and noted the "record high cost-effectiveness" of the method.
"Poor thermal management can lead to significant heat buildup inside electronic devices, which ultimately leads to loss of functionality and device failure," says Wu. He emphasizes that the proposed strategy is able to provide long-term stable cooling without solution leaks and corrosion, which can contain the increase in heater temperature with record economic efficiency compared to advanced passive cooling strategies.
According to Wu, the cooling strategy is cost-effective and easily scalable, and "can be useful for a variety of cooling applications with minimal technological barriers."
Scientists from the City University of Hong Kong have discovered a new way to combat overheating of computer systems, which can make the cooling process more efficient and less expensive. The secret is to add salt to the water.
With the growing volume of data processing around the world, where more than 2 zettabytes of information is processed every week, the issue of heat removal is becoming more urgent. Huge computing power leaves a significant carbon footprint. For example, commercial cloud providers use cooling systems that consume billions of gallons of water a year to maintain optimal temperatures.
According to the MIT Press Reader, cooling processes consume more than 40% of the total electricity used by data centers, which in turn consume the same amount of electricity as 50 thousand households. Anthropologist Stephen Gonzalez Montserrat points out that the carbon footprint of cloud technology now exceeds that of the aviation industry.
Professor Wei Wu of the School of Energy and Environment at the University of Hong Kong, together with colleagues, has developed a system that improves on existing heat dissipation technologies. In a paper published on October 31 in the journal Device, Wu describes a process in which water with added lithium bromide uses evaporation and reabsorption to lower the temperature.
This process is "a passive thermoregulation strategy that relies on desorption of moisture from hygroscopic salt solutions through a protective membrane that allows only water vapor to pass through," says Wu. A porous membrane is installed in a structure that does not allow saline solution to come into contact with computer components, and a heat sink removes accumulated heat from sensitive electronics.
Wu compares the process to natural mechanisms, such as how mammals regulate their body temperature through sweating and rehydration. The high moisture absorption capacity and low cost of lithium bromide-treated water offer significant advantages over competing cooling strategies that use hydrogels and organometallic frameworks, which require time to regenerate and actively replenish water reserves.
Applying this process to a single computer, the researchers recorded a performance improvement of more than 32% and noted the "record high cost-effectiveness" of the method.
"Poor thermal management can lead to significant heat buildup inside electronic devices, which ultimately leads to loss of functionality and device failure," says Wu. He emphasizes that the proposed strategy is able to provide long-term stable cooling without solution leaks and corrosion, which can contain the increase in heater temperature with record economic efficiency compared to advanced passive cooling strategies.
According to Wu, the cooling strategy is cost-effective and easily scalable, and "can be useful for a variety of cooling applications with minimal technological barriers."
