at ces 2017, gigabyte demonstrated a two-phase immersion cooling system for an 8-gpu, dual-cpu system with 24 memory modules and copper heat pipes to draw heat away from the processors and into the 3m novec engineered fluid.

the gigabyte immersion cooling system in action at ces 2017. (youtube)

to cool the vapor that is rising into the system, a radiator is placed inside the system as well as a system that would add or remove hydrocarbons through a pump, according to a firsthand account of the ces demo on anandtech.com.

“so the point in all this is more efficient cooling – no need for massive air conditioning units in a data center, no need to pump chilled water into water blocks,” wrote ian cutress, who detailed the demo for anandtech.com.

cutress added, “i’m surprised that this system was suitable for all that hardware, but it does leave on issue on the table: getting access to replacing hardware. moving from air to liquid cooling in a data-center always has this issue.”

3m has a series of engineered fluids that could be used in this setting, but cutress said that it was most likely novec 72da, which is a solution containing 1,2-trans-dichloroethylene, 4-16 percent ethyl nonafluorobutyl ether, 4-6 percent ethyl nonafluoroisobutyl ether and trace other similar methyl variants. it has a boiling point of 45°c and low viscosity.

cutress explained, “typically water cooling (with blocks) with the high heat capacity is preferred, but at 1.33 j/g/k for the main ingredient in novec is interesting: take a cpu that uses 140w, and in 60 seconds it will change 8.4 kj of energy from electricity to heat.

that would raise one kg of liquid (0.8 liters, due to 1.257 kg per liter for density) up by 7.24ºc. thus it would take around 3 minutes from a slightly chilled start to create one kg of the main component of novec to boiling point.”

read the full report on the ces 2017 demo at http://www.anandtech.com/show/11046/gigabyte-server-shows-two-phase-immersion-liquid-cooling-on-a-2u-gpu-g250s88-using-3m-novec.

see the two-phase system in action in the video below: