evaporative cooling, how?

[most deaf]

this might sound really stupid but how does evarporative cooming work, i know that when stuff evaporates it makes the surface slightly cooler, so that is how it coolt tha water, but what makes the water evaporae in the first place?

[hooziewhatsit]

hmm, I believe that the heat from the cpu would cause the water, or whatever liquid you were using, to evaporate. When it evaporates, it takes energy from the cpu, cooling it off. Ideally, then the evaporated liquid would be captured and allowed to condense into a liquid again to enter the cycle again.

[cjtune]

Evaporative rates depend on the 'dryness' f the air -the less humid the better, the surface area of water exposed -get big showerheads!, the airflow to help 'knock' water molecules off the surface and push away the already moist air -more the better, and of course, the temperature of the water. I don't have any tables or formulaes dealing with this but these rule of thumbs are better than no info at all. Additives to water may also alter the rate of evaporation but I'm not sure on this.