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I just think if would look very cool if you had a massive supercomputer (e.g. One that takes up at least seven rooms, along a dull and boring gray lifeless corridor) completely submerged in liquid nitrogen.
This could definitely stop it from overheating, and it might look quite nice. It would stop
any animal damage, as any animals would freeze solid before getting to it, and would-be-theives would too.
Of course, you'd wouldn't be able to run Windows, because it would not be worth having to defrost every time the computer crashes.
The screen would be outside, as would the keyboard, speakers, and any other peripherals.
Or I could just use it for keeping the fishbones fresh.
http://en.wikipedia...id_nitrogen_cooling
[Worldgineer, Aug 01 2005]
In Seymour's own words.
http://www.cray.com...t_cray/history.html [coprocephalous, Aug 02 2005]
Even as an extra-ordinary CPU cooler
http://www.tomshard...20031230/index.html It's been done. This is not an original idea by the author, so perhaps deserves the MFD. [Vernon, Aug 02 2005]
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The only problem you'd have* would be
cracking of things due to differential
shrinkage when cooled so violently, I
think. Not sure if liquid nitrogen has
significant conductivity (if it does, use
some other liquified gas). However, no
croissant from me, because it was
suggested purely for reasons of coolth.
But no fish-finger either.
*apart from anything I haven't
though of. |
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Baked. Many people do this to boost their computer's power. They submerse their CPU and stuff into a vat of liquid Nitrogen. |
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And things don't crack? (Presumably
not) |
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So obvious, so written about, so done. |
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Not a bad idea, but a fishbone for not googling. |
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"Very cool", indeed. Liquid Nitrogen (~77degK) is fairly warm compared to liquid Helium (can be cooled to 0.004degK.) |
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A computer that took up 7 rooms "along a ...corridor" wouldn't be a supercomputer, it could only be a cluster of computers. |
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Supercomputers are usually geometrically shaped as cylinders, to keep the propagation times of the signals as short as possible. |
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Recall that signals in wire move at about 0.7c, or [does quick calc] 130,000 miles per second. Or a bit less than a foot per nanosecond. Computers with clock speeds of 10s of GHz need dimensions on the order of inches at most to retain their high speed. Cooling (even to superconductor temperatures) doesn't speed up the signal! |
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Sorry, enough quibbling. Go enjoy your LN2. |
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[Basepair] Yes, they do... What is done, instead, is to build an LN2 container onto the processor; less exotic cooling is used for the motherboard. Attempts have been made to immerse the whole system in LN2, but the motherboard tends to die, either from thermal shock or extreme low temperature. |
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//and it used liquid nitrogen to cool the processors// sp. "freon" |
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Heh, you mean "Fluorinert"? |
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Dunno, [bris], Cray's own website says freon [linky] - I guess they weren't modelling ozone layer depletion dynamics back then! |
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Sorry all for wasting your time. |
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In the future, I shall not post ideas in the middle of the night. |
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Does anyone mind if I delete this? |
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[David Scothern] Ah - many thanks. I'm
surprised even that the processor
doesn't have problems (metal legs,
silicon body, ceramic/plastic shell), but
evidently it doesn't.
[dbmag9]
I'd leave it. I think most ideas generate
some interesting annotations and
should be left unless they are really
dire. |
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Ah, but the specific Freon type was FC-74 or FC-77 convective mode Fluorinert or, in some cases, Ausimont Galden. I mean, if you're going to be picky, you might as well go all the way (however, you'd have to say "perfluoroctane sulfonamide" if you really want to go all, all the way). |
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The key thing that distinguishes this class of perfluorinated alkane from the catch-all "freon' is that it is highly purified for use specifically as an electronic cooling fluid for immersive applications. The purity assures the lack of conductivity. |
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// Does anyone mind if I delete this? |
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dbmag9, Aug 02 2005
// Respect for asking the question! |
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//(however, you'd have to say "perfluoroctane sulfonamide" if you really want to go all, all the way). // |
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[bristolz]
I love it when you talk cleaning chemicals ;) |
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sp. Perfluorooctanesulfonamide [ C8-H2-F17-N-O2-S ] |
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(note the 2 adjacent "o"s in ...fluorooctane...) |
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Well, I wrote that you'd have to SAY it and, so, you wouldn't pronounce the "oo". ;-) |
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[Pa`ve], is the ammonia non-conductive? |
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//(e.g. One that takes up at least seven rooms...It would stop any animal damage, as any animals would freeze solid before getting to it, and would-be-theives would too.// These are pretty big thieves then? |
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