Embarking on a waterchilling project - in need of opinions

Greetings everyone.
In the everlasting quest for better temperatures a friend and I have decided to take on the task of constructing a waterchilling system. I picked up the fridge which we gutted for the compressor about 9 months ago, and then it just sat there. Now we are finally getting around to moving forward with the project. We plan on using an Eheim pump, not sure how many GPH though? For a waterblock either Danger Den or Swiftech for both cpu and gpu.

Below is a diagram he drew which will give you guys somewhat of an idea of what we are trying to accomplish:




Anyone who has attempted such a project before, please share your experiences. Comments and constructive criticism are welcome as well

ok.. it's me. i drew that. i know, i know... but i registered after i sent him the picture and asked him to post it. ah well. =)

right..

i guess this complicated project can be broken up into several smaller, more easily managed issues.

first: how does the project look? the diagram is crude, but i think effective.

second: concerns. how much tubing is needed? is there a calculation for amount of copper line? how much coolant goes into the line? and how do i refill this damn thing?

third: i know how to get the cap tube length, no issue here.

fourth: what are the types of coolant? r22, r12, rthis and rthat... i have no refrence for them. what is compatable with this mineral-oil compressor?


keep in mind that i will be documenting all this info.. shall i never have to ask again. i am continuously looking and reading and finding these things out for myself... but asking is just easy. =) and this is my first project.

Line sizing doesent really matter other than cap tube size and length but I dont know how to size them.
In the USA you can only get R134a and R290 (propane) without passing certification tests.
To fill (charge) the system you will need to vaccume it with a vaccume pump or another compressor converted to one than hook your refrigerant up to your gauges and than watch the pressues and stuff.

The design its self looks good but unless you want to insulate the pump to and make it harder to get it sucking water (cant scyphon meth ) I'd suguest you submerse the pump in a res instead of an inclosed HX (heat exchanger).
Also, I'm not sure if the quick DC fittings will withstand the low temps and not leak/break especially if there plastic.

OK, so line size is not quite what i meant... i am thinking more that the length of all the tubing used in the evaporator and the condensor has to be a particular length in order to maintain certain system efficiency?

getting the system certified is not really a problem... knowing people that will fill it with whatever is always good. of course, i will have said person ensure that the system is safe for our use before he fills it. don't want leaky propane... tsk tsk tsk

what it basicly amounts to is; getting the copper bent and in place, brazing all the lines to suit our design, constructing a proper cap tube in length according the the type of coolant we want, tvx valve *or whatever that is called.. can't remember right now. bypass valve basicly*, line dryer *bulb*, getting the system charged and plugging it in!

the water pump should be submersed in a reservoir you say? maybe a reservoir is good... if i got all complicated i could even have the water pumped through a regualr radiator to help cool it before it enters the heat exchanger... but i'll stick now to simply having a pre-heat exchanger reservoir. with a pump inside.

quick-release valves are not too hard to find. and quality, designed-for-something-like-this fittings are always available somewhere.

first step is to reinforce the case it will all go into.

i hope to get a camera soon to take some pictures! any more help from forum members is very welcome!

For cap tube sizing I'd pick a refrigerant and aproximated wattage load and go over to the XS forums and ask there. Theres a few HVAC engineres who can do that stuff easily.
As for the condensor just try to find one. Much better than making one.
I read the guide at WC101 here and it says 20' of 1/4" OD tubing for both the condensor and evap.

Best of luck with your project. I'll be starting mine in a month or two.

EDIT:
you dont want a heatercore in there. The temps will break it.