Cronic's Icecold v2.0 Chiller Project

[cronic]

Ok, here is the chiller I have been working on. This is my first chiller. I had a Vapochill XE that I got rid of a few months back and wanted to try out a chiller. I will eventually build a phase change to go in the stacker for the CPU and use the chiller for the video cards only, but for now I will use it on my 3800x2 and currenyly a 7800gt. Once I get it all tweaked I will build a stainless steel enclosues to make it look nice. When the enclosure is completed I will add a few more fans to keep it as cool as possible. The unit is using a Dan Foss TL4F compressor and the res. is 3x3x13. I will be using a 50/50 mix of propylethene glycol and alchol. It uses 1/2 inch Tygon tubing with anti-kink sleves with 1/2 inch inulation. My new Iwaki WMD20RLT will be here tommorow and I can get it running. I am using a danger den TDX brass top CPU water block that is insulated to 1/2" thick. the res. also has 1/2" hogh greade neophrene insulation. I am getting -15 in about 15 minutes in the res. I would like to acheive lower temps. As of now I am using r134 gas . What do I need to do to lower the temp. I am not familar with the fitting in the last pic. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

It looks like the water block is above freezing, but is very cold. I don't have a good thermoneter to test tempbut it seems to be around 5 c . How can I get the temps lower?
After hookin it up, I don't have the charge right as the idle temp @1.52v is 17-20 c and load temp is 28-30 c. I don't know much abot chargeing the system. can some one help. what psi of r134a should it have./ tHANKS AGAIN
More Pics added
Idle Temps after 24 hrs 12-15 c
load Temps sfter 24 hrs 31-35c
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This is what it will be attached to
http://tinypic.com/f26aah.jpg

[eBoy0]

Nice clean chiller man!@ :toast:
only thing i can say is the insulation around the waterblock won't work. Can you take some more pictures of the waterblock because i run a chiller on a TDX aswell.
Good luck!

[sluflyer06]

why won't his insulation work?

[boshuter]

Hi cronic..... thought that chiller looked familiar, I got one of those from garasaki too ;) Haven't played with mine yet, I have a new filter/dryer coming for it and am going to change it to r404a. Mine doesn't have the switches and thermostat like yours. You may have to insulate those water lines to prevent condensation from dripping off them. I'll be watching this thread to see your results, when I get mine together with the 404a I'll let you know how it does.

[cronic]

Nice clean chiller man!@ :toast:
only thing i can say is the insulation around the waterblock won't work. Can you take some more pictures of the waterblock because i run a chiller on a TDX aswell.
Good luck!

why won't the insulation on the waterblock not work?

[cronic]

Hi cronic..... thought that chiller looked familiar, I got one of those from garasaki too ;) Haven't played with mine yet, I have a new filter/dryer coming for it and am going to change it to r404a. Mine doesn't have the switches and thermostat like yours. You may have to insulate those water lines to prevent condensation from dripping off them. I'll be watching this thread to see your results, when I get mine together with the 404a I'll let you know how it does.

Yeah I will have 1/2" insulation on the waterlines to prevent condensation. I was lucky and my chiller was charged when I got it from Garski. I did reinsulate everything and rewire everything. The switchs control the fan,compressor,pummp, and the fan has a dimmer on it the change the speed of the fan. I haven't put a thermastat on it yet, but would like to do that. What would be the best way to go about ding a thermastat. the r404 sounds cool.

[eBoy0]

why won't the insulation on the waterblock not work?

I tryed the same way of insulating the waterblock a while back, and the cold spread soo fast it just wasn't airtight, maybe yours will go alot better.

[RussC]

Ive got that block also. I wonder what I'm going to do?

RussC


I tryed the same way of insulating the waterblock a while back, and the cold spread soo fast it just wasn't airtight, maybe yours will go alot better.

[MaxxxRacer]

I would suppose a better way to insulate it would be to get a block of insulation and carve it out with the exact shape of the waterblock. A bit of a pain, but if done correctly it would make a nice airtight seal.

[boshuter]

I run that block on my regular water cooled system, but grabbed a Swiftech 6000 series for chiller setup; it's much easier to insulate due to it's shape.

[Garasaki]

Dude that's awesome. It's soooooooo "cool" (pun intended) to see someone using these like this. :woot: Exactly what I wanted to use one for!

You would be able to lower your temps a few degrees by dropping your concentration of glycol down a ton. You probably only need 10% tops.

[RussC]

Ya,
Lowing the glycol is a good idea. I don't believe that compressor has enough for -20C cooling with that heatload. you'll get better flow with less coolant.

If you still interested in the what pressure for R134a, heres mine:
http://img354.imageshack.us/img354/9238/guagesr134a5wc.th.jpg (http://img354.imageshack.us/my.php?image=guagesr134a5wc.jpg)

Those pressures are low side @compressor and high side just after condeser. If you access ports are different, then pressures will be different. But I believe that these should be fairly representative of R134a pressures.

Nice rig you have there though. Nice an clean. I burned up my TDX, now I have Swifttech 6002.

RussC

[cronic]

Thanks for the great input guys. i do have a question about the cooling solution. All i see used is denatured alcohol, but i am not. i am running 70% isopropyl alcohol. is this an issue. is denatured better at cooling or what? if so i will change asap. i will try running a lower % of glychol, but would like to figure out this alcohol issue before i go adding more. The rear s.s. panel is almost done, and i will be working on the piece cover for the side and top next. I also think I am doing to run a psu to power the 2 inlet and 2 exhaust fans i will be putting in the enclosure, as i think this would be a better solution than 4 110v fans. what do you guys think?

[SexyMF]

Nice work cronic

I run 9 litres of coolant where 5 litres is 100% glycol. Even that mix starts to get ice approaching -50C (obviously unloaded).

I've been testing my setup with a rheostat and an electric jug element as a controlled heatload. It is able to pull down 180W(+submerged pump) to -29C on Propane.

From -7C it has pulled down to -26C in about 45minutes (under load). It's ice all the way to the compressor (I've got no insulation yet). My pressure for R290 is about 15/200.

RussC: I would think your pressure is low. Yet from your excessive frosting on the suction line, that suggests an overcharge?

So what water/glycol mix will handle to say -30C?

[Garasaki]

I will look that info up today when I get to work and post back.

[cronic]

cool

[RussC]

Frosting to compressor depends on which pic and load. The no load pics are a little overcharged(for a no load condition), so there is more frosting to compressor. If you look at my later pics with the loads of 100W or 180W, theres no frosting except just out of the resivoir and just ~halfway to the compressor. I seem to get the best temps with the system slightly overcharged so there is some frosting on the suction side coils. But it never gets completely to the compressor ever.

My pressures are taken at the compressor for the low side. This is probably correct for the amount of cap tube I have. Plus I believe my evap is undersized for the system. My next move is to increase the evap size to more closely equal the orginal water fountain size evap. I'll be using 5/16 copper in larger quantity. My compressor and condensor can handle it I believe. The high side is after the consenser, so the pressure is lower than before the condenser. I believe the compressor outlet would be ~150-170psi, which is ~ right still for R134a? I guess I can take some temp measurements and get the pressure from the PT table. If thats not right, can you expain why?

I haven't adjusted cap tube lenghts as Im moving from R134a to other more exotic refrigerants. I have some R22a comming then probably move up to some R507/R402/R404. I'll adjust the cap tube then as this R134a is to do initail tesing. Its not the final system.

RussC


Nice work cronic

I run 9 litres of coolant where 5 litres is 100% glycol. Even that mix starts to get ice approaching -50C (obviously unloaded).

I've been testing my setup with a rheostat and an electric jug element as a controlled heatload. It is able to pull down 180W(+submerged pump) to -29C on Propane.

From -7C it has pulled down to -26C in about 45minutes (under load). It's ice all the way to the compressor (I've got no insulation yet). My pressure for R290 is about 15/200.

RussC: I would think your pressure is low. Yet from your excessive frosting on the suction line, that suggests an overcharge?

So what water/glycol mix will handle to say -30C?

[SexyMF]

Its not the final system.

Totally! I'm not sure if mine will ever by finished

[RussC]

You answered my pressure question above from my system thread, thanks. On the coolant, Prestone's bottle says 50/50s good for -34F, and 70/30 for -84F. I use 66/34.

RussC


Totally! I'm not sure if mine will ever by finished

[cronic]

any one help with the isopropyl or denatured alcohol?

[Qkjhfhaiguihfma]

hi. i hope no one said this already, i kinda skimmed. i would try using more coolant. a 3x3x13 container has like, 1.8 liters? i did that calc real fast and it's probably wrong.

anyhow, the more water (coolant/water i use interchangeably) you have, although it will take longer to chill to start, it will increase your headroom.

nice setup, very clean.

[RussC]

I believe that Iso is OK, I know dentured is. I don't know the difference between them.

If the specs on Iso are the same as dentured, then the temps can go very low, like -50C.

RussC


any one help with the isopropyl or denatured alcohol?

[Garasaki]

a 3x3x13 container has like, 1.8 liters? i did that calc real fast and it's probably wrong. .

His container has the evaporator coil inside it. This takes up a lot of the volume of the resevior...

[cronic]

i've been slowly adding more alcohol to the mix over the last few days and my idle temps have dropped to 8-11 c. I will be resealing the res. as I have a small leak around the seal tomorow, so then I will go with a 90 % alcohol and 10% glychol mix. Still wondering about that Isopropyl though. And yes the res is kinda small, maybe later I will tear it apart and redo it larger. My gpu water block should be here in the next few days.

[Garasaki]

So how is this doing with the GPU block on?

[hardnrg]

Still wondering about that Isopropyl though.
would the info from the MSDS help?

[70% Isopropyl alcohol (IPA): 70% Isopropanol, 30% water] , (Denatured alcohol: 90% Ethanol, 5% IPA, 5% Methanol)

FREEZING POINT: [-45.6°C] , (-114°C)
SPECIFIC GRAVITY: [0.877] , (0.8)

[cronic]

So how is this doing with the GPU block on?

i just got the block and have not put it in the loop yet. I have decied to sale the chiller and put pa120.3 radiator in my stacker and just do regular water cooling for the time being. the chiller is for sale in the cooling section of the for sale area. thanks again for all the great info and help you guys have given me.

[bobbywmatl]

:confused: I've looked in the http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=40

but I can't find where it is for sale at. Am I looking in the right place?

bobby

[catkicker]

See rule 8 in that forum, it will answer your questions. Always a good Idea to read forum rules.

[bobbywmatl]

well, it will be a long time before i have 100 posts... so i guess im outa luck on that one. lol