Hi old5ql,
You are very welcome, and am very happy that the
isopropyl alcohol cleaning saved your mobo. I've found this method a while back when searching for the best way to clean mobo's. About once a year or so I disassemble my computers and give them a good cleaning as well as a repasting of thermal compound to heatsinks, it a kind of preventative maintenance. Of course they get a good de-dusting every month or so as well.
To Korth,
Could a dielectric fluid like
Midel 7131 function well as a coolant?
I did a brief check on the site you linked, noting the intended application and particularly the viscosity of the
Synthetic Ester Oil.
Typical application: High voltage power distribution transformers with voltages up to 238kV...that's 238,000 volts!
There's absolutely no concern of submerging a psu along with the mobo.
Midel 7131 Viscosity: Kinematic Viscosity at 40°C is 29.
Mineral Oil Viscosity: Kinematic Viscosity at 40°C is 12. (mineral oil is the primary ingredient in
Baby Oil)
Water Viscosity: Kinematic Viscosity at 40°C is 0.658
Note: the higher the number, the thicker the fluid.
The viscosity of a fluid is its resistance to shear or flow, and is a measure of the fluids adhesive/cohesive or frictional properties. The viscosity will arise due to internal molecular friction within a fluid producing the frictional drag effect.
Midel 7131 is an excellent choice as a submersion fluid, but using it in a cooling loop (ie: radiator, water blocks, etc.) presents a problem in regards to flowing/pumping through the system. First off the pump will have to be more robust, as in pumping a higher pressure, and the cooling blocks will need to be less restrictive in order to have adequate coolant flow. I suspect a thicker high flow radiator will be needed as well.
So with the higher viscosity alone, presents more problems then the gain of not having to replace the fluid for the lifetime of the cooling loop or worry about getting a leak onto pc components.
I've researched a while back for an ideal coolant for liquid cooled engines (ie: automobiles, motorcycles, etc.), and found that nothing comes close to water alone for it's thermal properties as in absorbing heat and releasing it, low viscosity so as not to need a powerful pump to move it, and not be flammable.:eek:
So it looks like water based coolant is the only viable solution at present.