
Cloud computing companies are preparing to dunk their servers in vats of oil - duck
http://qz.com/69580/household-name-cloud-computing-companies-are-preparing-to-dunk-their-servers-in-vats-of-oil/
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admford
Oil cooling in general is more useful in overclocking situations where one
uses a TEC. The main problem with TEC cooling is that you can get under 0
degrees, and that leads to condensation on the logic board (not something one
would want). Mineral Oil freezes at around -30 degrees C, so you can cool
components below zero without having those problems. Though if you're using
TECs for cooling, then efficiency isn't something that one would be interested
in.

Otherwise, mineral oil needs pumps, and in general could be harder to design
cooling components due to the different density of the fluid. High surface
area coolers that are used with fans might not let the oil pass through fast
enough to limit heat accumulation. You'd need to design laminar flow heat
sinks and pumps that keep the oil flowing over the most critical parts. If one
pump fails, you risk localized overheating. At least with standard fan/air
cooling you can have multiple fans that keep the hot air from staying in the
case (or some racks have A/C vents entering from the bottom front and exit
from the top rear to keep positive pressure and continuous cooling.

The limiting factor could be logic board design to make sure there's no
turbulence between the components and cooling equipment so there aren't any
hot spots that could damage components. It's costly engineering and you risk
starting to make or use parts in non standard sizes or designs.

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wmf
There may be a case for oil cooling, but this article doesn't make it; it's
mostly just an ad for Green Revolution based on an outdated understanding of
data centers. Facebook and others have already done away with raised floors
and chillers while Microsoft has eliminated the building completely, just
parking their ITPACs outdoors. I would be interested in seeing a TCO
comparison between ITPACs and Green Revolution, but I doubt we'll get one.

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tbeseda
Hobbyist PC builders and overclockers have been doing this for a while. This
video described the basic process of building one
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtufuXLvOok> \-- pretty neat.

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anon987
How does liquid cooling affect the lifespan of the computer hardware?

