NA-04-4-3 – Liquid Cooling—Friend or Foe PDF

Liquid cooling is NOT a new technology and has proven to be an effective means of cooling, especially high-density loads. With the rapid growth of heat flux densities at the chip, board, and rack level, why does there appear to be such reluctance to use liquid cooling for electronic equipment? The focus of this paper is not to promote or contest the increased use of liquid cooling but rather to examine the advantages and disadvantages of liquid cooling. This includes reviewing the situation from NOT ONLY a thermal engineering viewpoint but from the end user as well. Some often believe that to even propose liquid cooling to an end user can be a fatal mistake and potentially the end of the relationship. This paper is focused on examining the controversy including perceptions and risks associated with liquid cooling.

Units: Dual