- Joined
- Jun 16, 2002
- Location
- Brazil \ Florianopolis A \ sc
I´ve been developing watercooling products for some years. In this time, I´ve tested most of the products available, about 90% of the high efficiency wc systems available in the market. In all of them, besides evaluating their performance, I also looked for mistakes, always trying to understand the tecnology used, and trying to find ways to improve their efficiency. In all of them, what caught my attention were the radiators.... All were very inefficient, and highly flow restricted. These factors limited the cooling systems I was evaluating in extreme Ocs...
Of course they can´t do the cooling work all by themself: a high performance water block and a strong water pump is also needed... I tested most of them, and will do a brief explanation of what I think is important concerning watercooling
About the tubing and hose barbs: I use modified hose barbs... I´ll explain: My hose barbs are modified, having the liquid flow coming from the tubing in mind. They have their inner width widened to the max and polished. The mods on the inlets of these hose barbs is to keep a straigh line from the tubing to them, avoiding turbulance in the incoming liquid that would decrease flow rate. I use a 50% silicone ½ inch tubing, which is extremely flexible and has a bigger inner width, when compared to other ½ inch tubings available in the market, and it fits my hose barbs perfectly.
These tubings are custom made for me by a manufacturer near my town, and are capable of doing a complete 4 inch radius circle without any obstruction or deformation. I use these tubings and hose barbs in all my water cooling kits, extreme ones or not.
About the F2 Extreme radiators: I would like to give some personal beliefs about the commom radiators used today for water cooling before explaining my radiators.
None of the radiators I tested, at least from what I know, are made exclusively for watercooling . For example, Dtek, one of the most used radiator, is simply a regular air heater radiator used in cars. The only difference is its size and headers. All the rest, including the Z form flat tubes, the tanks, the fins, are the same that are used in 90% of today´s cars air heaters. They are probably made by Delphi, since its identical, except for its size and headers, to the ones I tested. They are exactly the same heatcores made for the Chevette air heater, usually recommended in this Forums as a cheap solution. In my opinion, they´re highly restrictive and inefficient when used for watercooling.
The same thing happens with the old (refrigerator´s condenser) and new Innovatek radiators, as well as the Black Ice and Black Ice Extreme from Danger Den, which are also made by Delphi, and uses the same flat tubes, headers and fins used in other heatcores made by Delphi, most of them used in air heaters for cars. Again, these too are extremely restrictive, with low heat exchange and not innovative.
If you look for a air heater radiator in na auto´s parts shop, you will see that 50% are identical to the ones used by Dtek, and the other 50% are exactly the same used by Dangerden and Innovatek... Always the same thing, the only difference is the size, inlet type and, sometimes, the material used in it...
I wanted much more than the market could offer me... I knew how a watercooler radiator should be, and I would not do as the others did, using radiators based in trivial heatcores, inefficient and flow restrictive, usually used for air heaters... What I wanted was a perfect watercooling radiator, at least from my point of view.... Specially designed for watercooling use... And that´s how my F2 Extreme project started...
Some characteristics of the radiator F2 Extreme:
That radiator is made with 3 arrays of flat tubes opposed and 12 layers of laminate pure copper for each inch of height,
it has in the total of 54 flat tubes divided and opposed in 3 arrays
it works in an only fluid passage, he has TWO entrance of 1\2 in the superior camera and TWO exit of 1\2 in the inferior camera
the entrance has a special camera that feeds of fluid in a homogeneous way all the flats tubes .
all weld they are them done with 57% of silver and all the connections are re-worked for over diameter and soft angles of entrance and exit
Of course they can´t do the cooling work all by themself: a high performance water block and a strong water pump is also needed... I tested most of them, and will do a brief explanation of what I think is important concerning watercooling
About the tubing and hose barbs: I use modified hose barbs... I´ll explain: My hose barbs are modified, having the liquid flow coming from the tubing in mind. They have their inner width widened to the max and polished. The mods on the inlets of these hose barbs is to keep a straigh line from the tubing to them, avoiding turbulance in the incoming liquid that would decrease flow rate. I use a 50% silicone ½ inch tubing, which is extremely flexible and has a bigger inner width, when compared to other ½ inch tubings available in the market, and it fits my hose barbs perfectly.
These tubings are custom made for me by a manufacturer near my town, and are capable of doing a complete 4 inch radius circle without any obstruction or deformation. I use these tubings and hose barbs in all my water cooling kits, extreme ones or not.
About the F2 Extreme radiators: I would like to give some personal beliefs about the commom radiators used today for water cooling before explaining my radiators.
None of the radiators I tested, at least from what I know, are made exclusively for watercooling . For example, Dtek, one of the most used radiator, is simply a regular air heater radiator used in cars. The only difference is its size and headers. All the rest, including the Z form flat tubes, the tanks, the fins, are the same that are used in 90% of today´s cars air heaters. They are probably made by Delphi, since its identical, except for its size and headers, to the ones I tested. They are exactly the same heatcores made for the Chevette air heater, usually recommended in this Forums as a cheap solution. In my opinion, they´re highly restrictive and inefficient when used for watercooling.
The same thing happens with the old (refrigerator´s condenser) and new Innovatek radiators, as well as the Black Ice and Black Ice Extreme from Danger Den, which are also made by Delphi, and uses the same flat tubes, headers and fins used in other heatcores made by Delphi, most of them used in air heaters for cars. Again, these too are extremely restrictive, with low heat exchange and not innovative.
If you look for a air heater radiator in na auto´s parts shop, you will see that 50% are identical to the ones used by Dtek, and the other 50% are exactly the same used by Dangerden and Innovatek... Always the same thing, the only difference is the size, inlet type and, sometimes, the material used in it...
I wanted much more than the market could offer me... I knew how a watercooler radiator should be, and I would not do as the others did, using radiators based in trivial heatcores, inefficient and flow restrictive, usually used for air heaters... What I wanted was a perfect watercooling radiator, at least from my point of view.... Specially designed for watercooling use... And that´s how my F2 Extreme project started...
Some characteristics of the radiator F2 Extreme:
That radiator is made with 3 arrays of flat tubes opposed and 12 layers of laminate pure copper for each inch of height,
it has in the total of 54 flat tubes divided and opposed in 3 arrays
it works in an only fluid passage, he has TWO entrance of 1\2 in the superior camera and TWO exit of 1\2 in the inferior camera
the entrance has a special camera that feeds of fluid in a homogeneous way all the flats tubes .
all weld they are them done with 57% of silver and all the connections are re-worked for over diameter and soft angles of entrance and exit
