Dry Ice 101: The Basics

[QuantumPC]

This is SOO awesome. I am going to try it this weekend.

See what i can get a k6-2 450 up to!!!! (550 on air)

Any predictions?

 

[9mmCensor]

And don't forget to drop a peice in some soapy water. That is very cool. Try the screaming spoon and knife trick too.

Please explain.

I found that the Praxair Company sells it, and at $1CDN per pound its a bargin.

 

[9mmCensor]

http://maximumoc.com/

Has LN2/Dry Ice containers for sale that are wicked sick.

 

[lclark2074]

Looking for dry ice? Look here. And when using your dry ice, remember that 1lb of dry ice sublimates into 8.3 cu ft of CO2 gas. So leave your windows open or get yourself some SCBA gear.

Also, if I remember correctly, you can just use alcohol (stronger the better) instead of acetone.

SCBA gear hehe

 

[Ashura287]

This stuff doesn't seem too travel-friendly... I mean, you have to have your m0b0 on its side or your LN2/CO2 spills. What becomes of people who want to go to a LAN or something? I'd rather not have to put my rig on its side and bring a cooler full of dry ice. There isn't exactly loads of space at places like that... Not to mention people making fun of me :|

Would it be possible to use a really thick container and weld it shut so that it both keeps the coolant pressurized and doesn't explode? It'd be a pain in the *** to set up initially, but overall it'd be cheaper and more efficient, right?

 

[squeakygeek]

This stuff doesn't seem too travel-friendly... I mean, you have to have your m0b0 on its side or your LN2/CO2 spills. What becomes of people who want to go to a LAN or something? I'd rather not have to put my rig on its side and bring a cooler full of dry ice. There isn't exactly loads of space at places like that... Not to mention people making fun of me :|

Would it be possible to use a really thick container and weld it shut so that it both keeps the coolant pressurized and doesn't explode? It'd be a pain in the *** to set up initially, but overall it'd be cheaper and more efficient, right?

eh, it doesn't work that way. You won't be going to lans with liquid nitrogen or dry ice cooling, you'll be benchmarking, and when you're done benchmarking, you'll be putting it away and going back to you're regular form of cooling. And no, you can't close off the tube, you have to let it evaporate/sublimate.

 

[lclark2074]

also you can make the CPU cold plate on the side of bottom of cup and a hole on top to put dry ice in but thay will still laff at you

 

[9mmCensor]

This stuff doesn't seem too travel-friendly... I mean, you have to have your m0b0 on its side or your LN2/CO2 spills. What becomes of people who want to go to a LAN or something? I'd rather not have to put my rig on its side and bring a cooler full of dry ice. There isn't exactly loads of space at places like that... Not to mention people making fun of me :|

Would it be possible to use a really thick container and weld it shut so that it both keeps the coolant pressurized and doesn't explode? It'd be a pain in the *** to set up initially, but overall it'd be cheaper and more efficient, right?

The bigger the peice the slower it sublaminates. So get a big peice and put it in a cooler, and try to insulate it as much as possible. Encapsulating it in a sealed closed container is dangerous.

 

[lclark2074]

This stuff doesn't seem too travel-friendly... I mean, you have to have your m0b0 on its side or your LN2/CO2 spills. What becomes of people who want to go to a LAN or something? I'd rather not have to put my rig on its side and bring a cooler full of dry ice. There isn't exactly loads of space at places like that... Not to mention people making fun of me :|

Would it be possible to use a really thick container and weld it shut so that it both keeps the coolant pressurized and doesn't explode? It'd be a pain in the *** to set up initially, but overall it'd be cheaper and more efficient, right?

no it only gets cold when dry ice changes from solid to a gas

 

[Neco]

Someone should like.. find the biggest manufactured piece of ice possible and custom build a tank for it. Design a bracket that clamps the mobo/CPU to the container, instead of dropping the container on the precious expensive electronics you just bought.

Man.. Imagine someone with an oil drum full of dry ice... heh

 

[lclark2074]

Someone should like.. find the biggest manufactured piece of ice possible and custom build a tank for it. Design a bracket that clamps the mobo/CPU to the container, instead of dropping the container on the precious expensive electronics you just bought.

Man.. Imagine someone with an oil drum full of dry ice... heh

you can make the pece of dry ice any size as long as you have a mold and enuff money to fill it

 

[SilverJag]

I would so do this if it was a permanent solution; meaning that I wouldn't have to clean it up after my benchmarks and stuff.
If I could have that thing 24/7 on..oh man. I would be OK with changing the DI once in a while though.

 

[pronoob]

Why can't u use water instead of acetone?

 

[squeakygeek]

Why can't u use water instead of acetone?

Water has a tendency to become solid at 0c.

 

[fabulouscoops]

As an organic chemist with 25+ years of experience, I might be able to add somethings here. I used dry ice often in the lab and it is a very effective way of cooling to low temperatures inexpensively (compared to liquid nitrogen).
Dry Ice stays around for a long time as large blocks (several days) if kept insulated. Wrapping in a towel and storing in a styrofoam cooler works well. It is easily broken into chunks with a hammer while still wrapped in the towel. Keeping dry ice under pressure is a no-no. The sheer quantity of gas formed from the solid would rupture most containers easily and possibly, explosively. Pour the liquid a little at a tiime over the dry ice rather than add chunks to the liquid since splatter is common when adding dry ice to room temperature liquids that have low densities such as the solvents I am discussing here.

You do need a liquid for good heat transfer. As was stated, water is no good since it freezes solid below 0 deg C
- Acetone is available at paint stores, Home Depot, etc. Lowest temperature is -78C
- Methanol (wood alcohol) is also available in the same places. It will give lower temperatures (-90C) and is slightly less flammable and has a higher vapor pressure.
- Ethanol or ethyl alcohol (vodka) will work but freezing might be a problem since getting >80% alcohol is difficult unless you distill it yourself or have a liquor license. Anyway, there are better uses for it.
- Ethyl ether is harder to get but is used commertially for anesthesia for animals. lower temps still (-100c) but it is highly flammable and has a low vapor pressure. I don't recommend using it outside of a laboratory.
-isopropanol (rubbing alcohol) is the least flammable, lowest vapor pressure and gives low temps but has a tendency to get very thick as the dry ice mixture gets cold. It is also the easiest to obtain from your drug store. I would say it is the safest of the above solvents for this purpose.
With all of these solvents good ventilation is required. Safety goggles should be worn since splashes of sub freezing liquid can freeze your eyeball in seconds.

Condensation is a problem since any water in the air will immediately condence on anything this cold.
As the CPU adds heat to such a system, the CO2 will sublime within the liquid causing bubbles of CO2 gas to escape from the container. With a lot of heat this action could lead to the liquid frothing over and spilling the solvent. Take care.

Might I add that a much more safe and less costly method of getting to modest low temps is salt and methanol/water. As you may know, salt is used to lower the freezing point of water ice. You can get to -15 or so that way. Crushed ice and salt would be very effective. Add some methanol and you can get down to -30C using chemicals you may already have in your house.

 

[lclark2074]

fabulouscoops
In my state Rhode Island you can by 95% grain - Ethanol in your local package store.

 

[hafa]

...Methanol (wood alcohol) is also available in the same places. It will give lower temperatures (-90C) and is slightly less flammable and has a higher vapor pressure.

Should you choose to use methanol, you may be able to find it at office supply stores in the form of spirit duplicator fluid. Us oldsters remember it as "ditto fluid"

 

[jokers_greg]

WOW thats insane. WOULD LOVE TO SEE PICS of the final product. This is really interesting stuff goin on here

 

[jack222]

Ok i cant find neoprane anywhere..?? Can someone giveme a link(USA) and i cant find a container either...

 

[skou]

Would it be possible to use a really thick container and weld it shut so that it both keeps the coolant pressurized and doesn't explode? It'd be a pain in the *** to set up initially, but overall it'd be cheaper and more efficient, right?

That is a perfect description of a Co2 bottle, or a Co2 fire extinguisher bottle.

Except that as the dry ice "evaporates," (sublimates really) it will warm up. It cools back down, when you release the pressure.

All dry ice is, (like regular ice) is a phase change storage device. Compress a gas, cool it down, and then release the pressure. You have "cold." Dry (and regular) ice, just stores that "cold."

steve