How does immersion cooling technology work?

How does immersion cooling technology work?

Immersion cooling technology works by completely submerging the heat dissipating components in a liquid, allowing them to come into contact with the liquid and transfer heat to the liquid by conduction.

The following are the basic principles of how immersion cooling works:

Heat sink component: The heat sink component can be a radiator, heat sink or other form of heat dissipation device, which usually has a large surface area for heat dissipation.

Liquid media: A liquid media is a coolant with high heat transfer properties, such as oil, water, liquid nitrogen, etc. The liquid medium is filled in the container or cooling system so that the heat sink component is completely submerged in the liquid.

Heat transfer: When heat is generated by the heat sink component, the heat is transferred by conduction from the surface of the heat sink component to the liquid medium. The liquid medium has a high heat capacity and thermal conductivity and is able to absorb and transfer heat efficiently.

Convection or pumping: Once the heat has been absorbed by the liquid medium, the liquid will carry the heat away by convection or pumping. Convection is the natural convection of a liquid or convection generated by an external force (e.g. a fan) that allows the heat in the liquid to be dispersed by convective flow. Pumping refers to the use of a pump to drive the flow of the liquid and bring heat from the heat sink components into the cooling system.

Heat dissipation: The liquid medium carries heat through the cooling system by convection or pumping to dissipate heat. The cooling system can be a cooler, dry cooler or other form of heat sink. In a cooling system, heat is further conducted, radiated or otherwise released into the surroundings to dissipate heat.

With immersion cooling technology, the heat dissipating components are in full contact with the liquid medium and thus efficiently transfer heat and achieve cooling. This technology is often used in applications where efficient heat dissipation is required, offering the advantages of uniform cooling, reduced noise and increased reliability.