Selecting Material for Water-Cooled Heat Sinks

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around selecting an appropriate material for constructing a water-cooled heat sink intended for an integrated circuit (IC) that dissipates heat at 75 degrees Celsius. Participants explore various factors influencing material choice, including thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, and design specifications.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant notes that aluminum is commonly used for heat sinks due to its high thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance.
  • Another suggests considering a water/alcohol mixture to inhibit bacterial growth in the cooling system.
  • A participant recommends looking at over-clocking communities for innovative home-brew heat sink designs, including water-cooled options.
  • There is mention of available kits specifically designed for water-cooled heat sinks.
  • A later reply emphasizes the importance of considering thermal resistance (Theta[J,A]) in the design, rather than focusing solely on the temperature of 75C, highlighting the need to manage temperature rise based on power dissipation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express varying perspectives on material selection and design considerations, indicating that multiple competing views remain without a consensus on the best approach.

Contextual Notes

Some limitations include the need for further clarification on specific thermal resistance calculations and the implications of different cooling fluid compositions on performance.

purple cat
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Hi I need help selecting a material to make a water-cooled heatsink.
The heat sink is to be attached to an integrated circuit (IC), removing 75deg celsius heat.
Ok so most heatsinks are made of Aluminum because of it's high thermal conductivity.
Is it the same for water-cooled ones?
What do you have to consider when selecting material?
 
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Aluminum is great, because it won't corrode. It's also easy to mill. I'd suggest a water/alchohol mixture though, to inhibit bacterial growth.

- Warren
 
You might look at some of the over-clocking sites. Those guys run some pretty awesome home-brew heatsinks, including water-cooled.
 
There are also kits you can buy for this specific purpose.
 
purple cat said:
Hi I need help selecting a material to make a water-cooled heatsink.
The heat sink is to be attached to an integrated circuit (IC), removing 75deg celsius heat.

BTW, the temperature of 75C is not the most important specification for your heatsink. You need to think in terms of a Theta[J,A] in units of "Degrees C per Watt" in your heatsink design and specification. You will have some allowed temperature rise for your component (from the inner semiconductor junctions "J" if applicable to the external ambient temperature "A"), and that component will be dissipating some power in Watts. Your heat sink will need to extract enough heat from the device (through your water cooling system or whatever) to keep the max temperature of the device (semiconductor junctions) within specifications.
 

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