Quote:
Originally Posted by apk919
Hmm.... as long as the droplets evaporate completely, I'm not sure whether it matters whether that happens first in the air going through the IC, or on the surface of the IC itself. The latent heat of evaporation still has to be carried away by the air flowing through the IC.
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Assume an appropriate mist level that will not waste any liquid water out the back of the IC...
The results will be better getting the water droplets to pull heat out of the IC fins directly than pulling the heat out of the air first. The cold air passing over the fins does not have nearly the heat transfer rate, per unit of surface area, that water has. Liquid water has much better heat conducting characteristics than air. With your method, you'll get cooler air out the back of the IC, having wasted some potential energy absorbtion, than if you had let the water absorb the heat energy at the IC itself.
Are you cooled down more on a hot summer day by an evaporative cooler that is blowing cool, humid air on you (water already evaporated) or by having a mist blown directly on you while you stand in front of a regular fan and letting the water evaporate directly off your skin?
Quote:
Originally Posted by apk919
EDIT: Also, spraying directly on the IC would only get mist on the first few mm's of surface area from the front of the IC... theoretically you'd want the entire surface area of the IC to be more efficient (true evaporative chillers are designed to get a maximum surface area wet), and it seems the best way to do that would be to cool the air, which is going to contact the entire surface area.
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If the water is completely evaporating within the first few mm of fins as the airflow passes through, then you could turn up the volume of water being supplied. Assuming a small enough droplet size, it will all be passing through the IC, coating whatever fins it touches. The only reason it would be coating only the first few mm is if it's evaporating faster than new droplets are coating the fins. If that's the case, you need more water for maximum cooling capacity.
xtn
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2006 McLareghini Bugatterrari, Storm Titanium... <mods> installed: air horn, Scroth 4-point ASM harnesses, Sector111 halon extinguisher and mounting bracket, Von Hep exhaust and rear panel delete, Pagid brake pads, red Volks CE28n wheels, Toyo RA-1 tires, Nitron SA coilovers, Sector111 (WorksBell) quick-disconnect steering wheel kit. awaiting installation: Scroth "pull-up" lap belts, Sector111 RTD Brace, Tony's heater bypass mod, and dropped steering rack mounting plates. </mods>
Last edited by xtn : 08-20-2008 at 11:45 AM.
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