As the computational demands on data centers continue to increase, efficient and sustainable cooling solutions are becoming critical. Traditional air-cooling systems are getting overwhelmed particularly in high-density server environments, due to their high energy consumption and limited heat dissipation capacity.
Immersion cooling, which submerges electronic components in dielectric fluids to manage heat, has emerged as a promising alternative. This paper evaluates the performance, safety, and compatibility of three immersion cooling fluids, a hydrocarbon oil, Thermasolv™ CF2 (a fluorinated single-phase fluid), and Thermasolv™ IM6 (a fluorinated two-phase f luid). Three parameters: the cooling efficiency, material compatibility, and safety profiles of the fluids were assessed. The results demonstrate that both Thermasolv™ CF2 and IM6 outperform hydrocarbon oil in terms of heat dissipation, with IM6 showing the highest cooling efficiency due to its two-phase nature.
Additionally, the Thermasolv™ fluids exhibit superior material compatibility and safety, with no flashpoint and non-toxic properties, compared to the potentially hazardous hydrocarbon oil. The findings highlight the advantages of using fluorinated fluids for immersion cooling in data centers, particularly in enhancing cooling performances, reducing energy consumption, and improving safety.
This study provides valuable insights for selecting optimal cooling solutions in next-generation high-density data centers.