Under oil to keep it cool?

[sillywhim]

1. I got mineral oil from Chevron. It is called hydraulic oil. Ronco is their brand name. There's other brands from other companies. Comes is 5-gallon pails. Costs around $70.

2. Experimented heavily. Believe it or not, cheap chinese sumbersive aquarium pumps are EXCELLENT in moving mineral oil around in the your oil bath. Just place a couple submersive pumps in strategic areas within your oil bath enclosure tank. I used a heavy duty BRUTE plastic tub as my tank. Got it from Home Depot.

3. Current setup is a waste oil pump sucking out the mineral oil in a closed looped system that consists of an automotive transmission oil cooler radiator that is remotely submerged itself in my bathroom sink with the cold water running constantly over the transmission radiator. Water is "free" in my condo.

Note: you can not use a water radiator to run hot mineral oil thru (found that out) as mineral oil is too thick and won't flow thru an automotive water radiator narrow fluid channels.

Results/Observations after running this a few months:

The initial size of the automotive transmission oil cooler radiator was adequate for my 5 asicminer blades. But once I bought two more blades, my system didn't have the cooling capacity so now I run an A/C 24-hours in the separate that houses my mineral oil tank. That adds a lot of monthly electrical costs!!!

A future idea to lower electrical costs (the waste oil pump that is constantly running sucks up almost as much electricity as the seven miners themselves!) is to instead install small automotive WATER RADIATORS inside my mineral oil tank and run water thru these radiators using regular "free to me" city water that has pressure to spare in running water thru a car radiator. You have to watch out though as a car radiator cap has a built-in blow off pressure release that is set to around 12-15 lbs of pressure. However running an open looped water cooling system shouldn't build up that much pressure anyhow? (haven't tested this part yet.)

The combination of at least two water radiators sitting in the mineral oil tank that are running in series with city water should keep things cool at the radiator fins. Then using the EXCELLENT cheap-ass chinese submersible water pumps to circulate the hot-ish mineral oil over the radiators fins should make for an efficient heat transfer exchange.

I have not tried the water radiator idea but don't see why it would not work just great. It will save a lot in my current electricity costs (the 24 hour running of the waste oil pump and the air conditioner running).

Final Note: I use a PID temperature setup I got off ebay to monitor the temps in the oil bath. The PID I got has a 25 amp solid state relay. I set things up so that if the temp goes over 130 deg F, the relay will click off  power to the asicminer blades. I got the hysterisis set so the oil has to cool to 110 deg F before again apply power to the asicminer blades. This is how I found out that the seven blades over-taxed my system's cooling capacity as my mining pool graphs showed the shutdowns...

[sillywhim]

I don't get the whole oil thing. It's impossible to clean up when you remove it from the oil, so it destroys any resale value to $0. I'd rather not just throw away my money.

You can soak for a while in isopropyl rubbing alcohol that part that was submerged in oil to clean it out. Works like a charm. If you got an ultrasonic, all the better... I initially used brake cleaner spray from auto part stores to do the cleanings.

[sillywhim]

I was playing with the idea of an oil tank for blades, but it is completely unnecessary.

I had the resources to create a prototype of it (actually 2), but things move so quick in the BTC world you would regret any additional expense to your mining operation.

Oil submerging is quite good though in terms of cooling, but have some downsides too:

1.) A tank filled with oil and HW is very heavy so not convenient to move if needed. (my prototype weights around 30kgs+ filled up, including pumps and all the other HW)

2.) Maintenance can be quite messy

3.) It's expensive.

4.) If a pump fails the HW can literally fry and get damaged due to no circulation.

1. I got my entire setup sitting on the lower shelf of a wheeled stainless steel culinary table I got from sam's club. Easy to move everything -- heavy tank, my waste oil pump, etc. anywhere I want. I've been running my system for little over two months now...

2. Everytime I stick my hands in the tank to move things around or to test, I use windex and paper towels to clean up. But yes, it is messy.

3. Everyone's situation is different. My AM blades run COOL with no hot spots.

4. I have a cheap ($30-ish) PID Temperature Controller with Solid State 25 Amp Relay from ebay that digitally monitors the oil bath. Shuts power off at 130 deg F and won't let the blades power up again until the temperature drops to just under 110 deg F (hysteresis setting). My pumps are still running 100% (never gets shut off). Anyone who is running an oil bath needs to do this!

To each his own.

[leannemckim46]

Youtube link not working. Anybody have one cause I would like to put my GPU in oil..

[sillywhim]

Youtube link not working. Anybody have one cause I would like to put my GPU in oil..

What's to view and why?

Sink your electronics in a bath of mineral oil. Depending on the mass of the oil and what kinda heat you need to cool off, you may or may not need a supplemental  expensive radiator cooler.

You could use a metal tank (think deep metal chafing pans) for more efficient heat transfer to ambient ...just use standoffs under  the PCBs to avoid shorts. Maybe mount some heat sink fins outside of the metal tank with a fan blowing on them? (expensive tho') ...anything to avoid an oil trans cooler/waste oil pump expensive and noise!

I would also use a PID termperature watchdog that will knock off power to your electronics in case of over-heat. $30.

Also depending on your heat load, you may be able to avoid the expense of a $300-400 waste oil pump whose noise will drive your crazy by using instead a cheap chinese submersible aquarium pump to provide BOTH the inlet and the outlet sides of your AUTOMOTIVE TRANSMISSION OIL RADIATOR/COOLER that has a house fan blowing air on it. (The submersed in tank INLET aquarium  pump will provide of course hot mineral fluid to whatever strategic port of your automotive oil trans cooler, and the submersed in tank OUTLET aquarium pump will provide SUCTION on the now cooler mineral oil exiting your automotive trans oil cooler. Depending on your heat load, this just may work for you along with fans blowing on the outside of your metal tank's sides.)

The hose used to connect the pumps to the radiator should be high temperature silicone tubing that is extremely flexible. I got mines from amazon (I haven't tried regular aquarium water tubing.) The submersible water aquarium pump used in suction mode isn't strong enough to collapse this flexible silicone tubing.

But if your heat load is like mines, well, have to suck up to the cost and noise of the waste oil pump (regular water pumps will be epic fails no matter the pump's GPH.)

While cheap-ass china made submersible water aquarium pumps are EXCELLENT in moving HOT mineral oil around in an oil bath tank, don't expect miracles! There is very little head to speak of so the outside mounting of your automotive trans oil cooler has to be more or less same height as the pumps...

Do this in steps to figure out what works for your heat load. Why buy an oil trans cooler if just blowing air on the sides of the metal tank will do? But get a temperature PID no matter what!

[Puppet]

For GPUs, be sure to remove all thermal paste. It will dissolve in the oil, and thats not good.  Just use some oil as thermal paste instead. Not sure about the thermal pads. You should test if the oil affects them. YOu probably cant just remove the thick pads on the VRMs of some videocards as they would no longer touch the heatsink, and Im not sure if just being submerged will be enough...

[SquallLeonhart]

For GPUs, be sure to remove all thermal paste. It will dissolve in the oil, and thats not good.  Just use some oil as thermal paste instead. Not sure about the thermal pads. You should test if the oil affects them. YOu probably cant just remove the thick pads on the VRMs of some videocards as they would no longer touch the heatsink, and Im not sure if just being submerged will be enough...

If I buy the wrong oil will it spoil the GPU and what would happen if I didn't remove the thermal paste and it got dissolve in oil? And yes the youtube link says its private... please share to public ..

[Puppet]

For GPUs, be sure to remove all thermal paste. It will dissolve in the oil, and thats not good.  Just use some oil as thermal paste instead. Not sure about the thermal pads. You should test if the oil affects them. YOu probably cant just remove the thick pads on the VRMs of some videocards as they would no longer touch the heatsink, and Im not sure if just being submerged will be enough...

If I buy the wrong oil will it spoil the GPU and what would happen if I didn't remove the thermal paste and it got dissolve in oil? And yes the youtube link says its private... please share to public ..

Most oils would work, as long as they are dielectric, but if they are too thick, you will have a hard time pumping it around. Clear mineral oil would be best, but if you cant buy it in large quantities for reasonable prices, vegetable oil would work too, just not forever, as it will go rancid. Id stay away from motor oil, as its usually full of additives that are probably good for a motor, but no telling what it will do to a GPU (could be corrosive, slightly conductive etc)

As for the thermal paste, it will dissolve in the oil. If you are 100% its non conductive thermal paste, maybe its not that bad. Otherwise you can guess what could happen, the tiny particles floating around in the oil might cause a short at some point.

[waltermot321]

For GPUs, be sure to remove all thermal paste. It will dissolve in the oil, and thats not good.  Just use some oil as thermal paste instead. Not sure about the thermal pads. You should test if the oil affects them. YOu probably cant just remove the thick pads on the VRMs of some videocards as they would no longer touch the heatsink, and Im not sure if just being submerged will be enough...

If I buy the wrong oil will it spoil the GPU and what would happen if I didn't remove the thermal paste and it got dissolve in oil? And yes the youtube link says its private... please share to public ..

Most oils would work, as long as they are dielectric, but if they are too thick, you will have a hard time pumping it around. Clear mineral oil would be best, but if you cant buy it in large quantities for reasonable prices, vegetable oil would work too, just not forever, as it will go rancid. Id stay away from motor oil, as its usually full of additives that are probably good for a motor, but no telling what it will do to a GPU (could be corrosive, slightly conductive etc)

As for the thermal paste, it will dissolve in the oil. If you are 100% its non conductive thermal paste, maybe its not that bad. Otherwise you can guess what could happen, the tiny particles floating around in the oil might cause a short at some point.

Thanks, as for the thermal paste is there a way to know if it is conductive? My GPU was sapphire and its the original thermal paste which I didn't open the GPU since I purchased...

[rampalija]

For GPUs, be sure to remove all thermal paste. It will dissolve in the oil, and thats not good.  Just use some oil as thermal paste instead. Not sure about the thermal pads. You should test if the oil affects them. YOu probably cant just remove the thick pads on the VRMs of some videocards as they would no longer touch the heatsink, and Im not sure if just being submerged will be enough...

If I buy the wrong oil will it spoil the GPU and what would happen if I didn't remove the thermal paste and it got dissolve in oil? And yes the youtube link says its private... please share to public ..

Most oils would work, as long as they are dielectric, but if they are too thick, you will have a hard time pumping it around. Clear mineral oil would be best, but if you cant buy it in large quantities for reasonable prices, vegetable oil would work too, just not forever, as it will go rancid. Id stay away from motor oil, as its usually full of additives that are probably good for a motor, but no telling what it will do to a GPU (could be corrosive, slightly conductive etc)

As for the thermal paste, it will dissolve in the oil. If you are 100% its non conductive thermal paste, maybe its not that bad. Otherwise you can guess what could happen, the tiny particles floating around in the oil might cause a short at some point.

Thanks, as for the thermal paste is there a way to know if it is conductive? My GPU was sapphire and its the original thermal paste which I didn't open the GPU since I purchased...

you should consider about replacing thermal paste on GPU. It is different form CPU. The GPU usage is 100% all time and CPU is not all time. Thermal paste on GPU burns in couple of months

[wunkbone]

Cooling under oil is really a good idea, but how do you cool the oil when it gets hot?

[winner999]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eub39NaC4rc

This one is nice, blue leds, fans...