Introduksjon
Cooling Systems
ASIC miners produce enormous amounts of heat. If left untreated, the hot temperature can be harmful to the hardware or even pose a fire hazard. Therefore, dedicated cooling systems are often installed to reduce the temperature of mining farms.
Air-cooling
This method of cooling is exactly as the name suggests. It involves the use of ventilation fans and atmospheric air to regulate the temperature of mining equipment. Here, heat is spread by increasing the air flow over the mining rig. Although most ASIC machines come with built-in high-speed fans that force airflow over their internal components, it is often necessary to invest in better cooling.
In cold weather, ambient air mixed with warm recycled air is used to cool the equipment.
To increase the efficiency of air cooling, there is often a need for energy-intensive cooling components such as coolers and air handlers.
Positives: Less equipment
Negative: Poorer cooling (heat builds up)
Water-cooling
What is water cooling?
Water cooling offers several advantages, making it the preferred choice for many miners. Many industries with similar power requirements, such as data centers or high-performance computing. have also switched to water or liquid cooling due to the performance and sustainability benefits.
Compared to immersion cooling, water cooling also enables improved overclocking, cuts energy costs for cooling in half and virtually eliminates case costs. Unlike typical heat sinks or cold plates that pass liquid over a surface, water cooling uses arrays of bag jets to cool the ASIC miners right where the heat is generated, resulting in outstanding performance and cooling.
By using water to cool the ASICs, the ASIC machines can run at a higher hash rate for longer without overloading the system. In addition, water cooling is low maintenance, making it a more cost-effective option in the long run.
Let's consider how water cooling makes it possible to have more efficient mining farms that can reuse heat and almost eliminate water consumption while using environmentally friendly fluids.
Recycled water cooling (Closed-loop)
Recycled water cooling is the greener cooling option. Another benefit of water cooling is that it allows miners to recycle the water used to cool the rigs. Although water is a renewable resource, it is not unlimited. Mining farms that use water cooling are often equipped with a closed-loop recirculating water system. This means that the same water is used over and over again, which significantly reduces the amount of water needed to run the mining farm.
Closed-loop systems use only a few liters of water throughout the life of the system. Unlike closed-loop systems, some of the most famous water-cooled mining farms rely on plant connections that can use many thousands of liters of water per day, draining local lakes and water sources.
Eliminate the use of oil
Another advantage of water cooling is that it eliminates the need for oil-based coolers. Oil uses more energy than water due to its high viscosity. When you use less energy, you save money on your electricity bill. This is one of the biggest advantages of water cooling.
In addition to being less energy efficient, oil-based coolants are also more expensive and have a greater environmental impact. They are made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource, and when they leak, they can contaminate soil and water. Water-based coolants, on the other hand, are non-toxic and biodegradable. As such, water cooling is a more sustainable option for miners looking to improve efficiency.
The future of Bitcoin Mining is green
As the mining industry matures, we will see a continued focus on efficiency and sustainability. Switching to renewable energy and committing to reducing carbon footprints will put miners in a better position. Water cooling is one of the most efficient and environmentally friendly ways to keep mining machines cool, and it will only become more popular as miners look for ways to go green.
Immersion Cooling
What is immersion cooling?
One of today's most widespread liquid cooling solutions in the mining industry is immersion cooling. This method works by immersing the entire ASIC miner in a bath with dielectric oil that conducts heat but not electricity.
Immersion cooling has its disadvantages; it is more expensive than most other efficient cooling options, can be challenging to implement at scale, and when miners inevitably need maintenance, it takes time to clean the oil.
The oil absorbs the heat produced by the ASICs and dissipates it through two possible methods depending on the type of dielectric fluid used:
Single phase: The system pumps the heated liquid to a heat exchanger (A device that transfers heat between two liquids). The exchanger then transfers the heat from the liquid to a cold water circuit and returns the cooling bag to the bath, starting the process all over again.
Two-phase: Other coolers evaporate when they reach a certain temperature. In this method, when the coolant changes to a gaseous form, the gas rises, encounters a condenser (used to turn a gaseous substance into a liquid form through cooling) and drips back into the pool. The condenser then releases the heat through the air.
In both cases, the immersion fluid dissipates the heat from the bath, keeping the temperature of the ASIC miner cooled in an efficient and energy-efficient manner.
Increases performance and conservation of ASIC miners
Immersing ASIC machines in coolants not only dissipates the heat they produce, but also protects and preserves them from vibrations and contaminants such as dirt or dust. This helps prevent equipment failure and broken components, extends hardware life and improves performance.
Reduced power consumption
Liquids are much more efficient as heat conductors than air. As a consequence, replacing fans and AC units with immersion cooling systems can immediately reduce power consumption by up to 50%. It is important to remember that electricity is mining's highest recurring cost. As such, reducing consumption has a significant positive impact on profits.
Reduces noise
ASIC miners produce significant noise, which can be very annoying and even harmful to your hearing. But immersion fluid suppresses noise and makes immersed ASICs virtually silent.
Overall, immersion cooling provides increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness, not only as a heat dissipation system in itself, but also for the ASIC machines. Also, immersion cooling is scalable and exponentially efficient. This means that the benefits it provides are greater the larger the mining operation used is.
However, the main advantage of using this technology is energy efficiency.
Immersion cooling uses less electricity and performs better than other cooling systems. This not only reduces costs. It significantly reduces mining's ever-controversial environmental impact.
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