3 ms·

“Water” cooling in datacenter environments is almost always done with specialized liquids which are definitely not water, so a leak isn’t really an issue. Fluo

“Water” cooling in datacenter environments is almost always done with specialized liquids which are definitely not water, so a leak isn’t really an issue. Fluorinert is one of the more commonly used options.

zozbot234 4y ago
Fluorocarbons have huge GHG potential so any leak is most definitely an issue.
- jabl 4y ago
  Yes, I'm personally not very happy about another large scale usage of flourocarbons. Seems the history of these compounds is basically "look, we found this new compound with some very exciting and useful properties" followed a few decades later by "Oh shit". Rinse and repeat. That being said, there are alternatives. Like polyalphaolefin (PAO), which is apparently used for electronics cooling in aerospace applications and for some immersion cooling datacenter products.
- tristor 4y ago
  I mean a leak isn't an issue as far as equipment damage, which is the general concern with "water cooling" leaking. These specialized fluids are non-conductive. In most of the facilities I've been in that used these special fluids they had specially designed floors that acted as drains and capture in case any leaks occurred or for incidental spillage as part of replacing components in immersion cooled systems. All of the technicians were properly trained for safe handling, and of course these fluids are not something you want to be exposed to without the proper PPE. How they were plumbed and contained, a leak would not result in direct contact of the fluid to a person, nor would it result in it escaping to the environment outside the containment area.
jabl 4y ago
It's water. Or, if you want to be pedantic, a mixture of water and glycol as a fungicide and antibacterial agent.
- tenpies 4y ago
  It's the extra things in the water that make it both awesome and terrible. The really funny part - since we're approaching it all from an environmental perspective - is that it has huge global warming potential, so you want to be really careful to keep the stuff contained. They also take forever to break down and are not fantastic for human health. Like Sowell said "there are no solutions, there are only trade-offs". See: https://www.engineeredfluids.com/post/are-pfas-the-next-pcbs https://www.engineeredfluids.com/post/are-pfas-the-next-pcbs
  - jabl 4y ago
    Er, glycol isn't a flourocarbon.
- tristor 4y ago
  I want to be pedantic and point out that water as a substance is not the same thing as water as an ingredient in another substance. It is not water, it is something else which contains water. “Water” cooling is most often literally distilled water or possibly distilled water with a fungicide. This is not what is used in datacenters. They use Fluorinated fluids, PAOs, or PFOAs which all have unique properties different from treated waters.
  - jabl 4y ago
    > I want to be pedantic and point out that water as a substance is not the same thing as water as an ingredient in another substance. It is not water, it is something else which contains water. It's possible to take that pedantry a step too far. Is seawater not water because it contains a lot of salt, other minerals, fish poo, and whatnot? > “Water” cooling is most often literally distilled water or possibly distilled water with a fungicide. This is not what is used in datacenters. I've worked with datacenter equipment cooled by (AFAIK non-distilled) water-glycol, so, well, it does exist and is used.

zozbot234 4y ago

Fluorocarbons have huge GHG potential so any leak is most definitely an issue.

jabl 4y ago
Yes, I'm personally not very happy about another large scale usage of flourocarbons. Seems the history of these compounds is basically "look, we found this new compound with some very exciting and useful properties" followed a few decades later by "Oh shit". Rinse and repeat. That being said, there are alternatives. Like polyalphaolefin (PAO), which is apparently used for electronics cooling in aerospace applications and for some immersion cooling datacenter products.
tristor 4y ago
I mean a leak isn't an issue as far as equipment damage, which is the general concern with "water cooling" leaking. These specialized fluids are non-conductive. In most of the facilities I've been in that used these special fluids they had specially designed floors that acted as drains and capture in case any leaks occurred or for incidental spillage as part of replacing components in immersion cooled systems. All of the technicians were properly trained for safe handling, and of course these fluids are not something you want to be exposed to without the proper PPE. How they were plumbed and contained, a leak would not result in direct contact of the fluid to a person, nor would it result in it escaping to the environment outside the containment area.

jabl 4y ago

It's water. Or, if you want to be pedantic, a mixture of water and glycol as a fungicide and antibacterial agent.

tenpies 4y ago
It's the extra things in the water that make it both awesome and terrible. The really funny part - since we're approaching it all from an environmental perspective - is that it has huge global warming potential, so you want to be really careful to keep the stuff contained. They also take forever to break down and are not fantastic for human health. Like Sowell said "there are no solutions, there are only trade-offs". See: https://www.engineeredfluids.com/post/are-pfas-the-next-pcbs https://www.engineeredfluids.com/post/are-pfas-the-next-pcbs
- jabl 4y ago
  Er, glycol isn't a flourocarbon.
tristor 4y ago
I want to be pedantic and point out that water as a substance is not the same thing as water as an ingredient in another substance. It is not water, it is something else which contains water. “Water” cooling is most often literally distilled water or possibly distilled water with a fungicide. This is not what is used in datacenters. They use Fluorinated fluids, PAOs, or PFOAs which all have unique properties different from treated waters.
- jabl 4y ago
  > I want to be pedantic and point out that water as a substance is not the same thing as water as an ingredient in another substance. It is not water, it is something else which contains water. It's possible to take that pedantry a step too far. Is seawater not water because it contains a lot of salt, other minerals, fish poo, and whatnot? > “Water” cooling is most often literally distilled water or possibly distilled water with a fungicide. This is not what is used in datacenters. I've worked with datacenter equipment cooled by (AFAIK non-distilled) water-glycol, so, well, it does exist and is used.