QuantaCool Achieves Milestone for Cooling High Performance Computers

GLEN MILLS, Pa. - May 28, 2015 - PRLog -- In ongoing tests at its lab in Devon, PA, QuantaCool Corporation (QCC) has surpassed 15,000 hours (21 months) of run time on an “over-clocked” workstation computer using their patent pending passive 2-phase cooling system.   The testing platform uses a 6-core Intel Core i7 processor running under full load (stress-test program) at 4.6 GHz, which is more than 30% above rated speed.   Additionally, QCC’s cooling is being used on a bank of Intel Xeon data servers running for over 6 months.  These significant milestones demonstrate the reliability and performance of the QuantaCool technology on very demanding platforms, all without the energy requirements of current cooling technologies.

Historically, data centers have been fearful of liquid cooling systems because leaking water could be disastrous to electronics.  By using an inert, non-conductive, and non-flammable coolant, QuantaCool eliminates the risks associated with water.   As an added benefit, the heat is removed by evaporation instead of simple liquid heating, requiring only 5% of the flow needed for traditional pumped-water cooling systems.

The heart of the QCC technology is a micro-channel evaporative cold plate, which, unlike anything on the market, can passively remove concentrated heat loads and transport it directly to a remotely placed air- or water-cooled heat sink, or to a heat recovery system.   For data centers, this enables the heat to be rejected directly to the final cooling medium, instead of being blown into a server room that needs complicated ventilation and chilling systems to prevent overheating.   The QuantaCool cold plate is very thin, small enough to fit into the most compact computer cases, allowing maximum computing density.

The QuantaCool system works on thermodynamic principles similar to a coffee percolator.  A commonly used inexpensive refrigerant boils inside the cold plate and the vapor rises to a condenser, where it turns back to liquid and returns by gravity to the cold plate.  The heat that is being removed drives the circulation.   As Steven Schon, QuantaCool's founder and Chief Technology Officer puts it, “No pumps and no water!  That what makes our system efficient, quiet, reliable and most importantly, safe”.

In independent tests conducted by TweakTown.com, one of the world's biggest and most successful tech websites, the MHP^TM system was used to cool an over-clocked Intel Core i7 4770K processor.   Running at full load, all core temperatures remained under 70 C, well below the limits for this chip.  More details about the TweakTown review can be found at http://www.tweaktown.com/articles/7084/quantacool-mhp-cooling-solution-tested-gtc-2015/index.html.

QuantaCool has been working on passive cooling systems since 2008, and has demonstrated the ability to cool various high-power electronic devices.  In addition to computers, target applications for MHP^TM cooling include High Performance Computing systems, Concentrated PV Solar Systems, and high-power Lasers.  Currently, QuantaCool is working closely with Villanova University to couple its evaporative cooling technology with various energy recovery systems.  This work is being conducted as part of an Energy Smart Electronic Systems (ES2) project. ES2 is an industry and university consortium sponsored by the National Science Foundation, which is dedicated to improving thermal management of electronic devices.

With over 33 million data servers deployed worldwide, data centers consume over 2% of the global electricity output, with more than a third of that used for cooling.  QuantaCool believes its approach can change this dynamic, with the potential to save the industry billions of dollars in air conditioning and pumping costs.  It could also reduce infrastructure costs when building or retrofitting data centers.  For existing centers that are limited by the electric supply, QuantaCool’s technology can shift power use from cooling systems to increased computing, extending the capacity and life of the facility.

QuantaCool is currently seeking angel investors to commercialize their technology. For more information on QuantaCool Corporation, visit www.QuantaCool.com.