Oil cooling

Under oil cooling means the heat dissipation by means of oil as a heat carrier.

Applications

Starkstromtechnik

The oil cooling is mainly used for power electrical equipment, such as transformers or starting resistors, wherein the oil also has the function of the insulation does (see transformer oil). Of oil cooling, there is the heat-generating element in an oil bath, which is equipped with an expansion vessel in order to compensate the volume variations of the oil.

Combustion engines

The oil cooler is a specific type of liquid cooling system of internal combustion engines, in which the engine oil is used both as a lubricant and as a coolant. The advantage is that the higher boiling point of oil is the direct cooling of thermally highly stressed components such as pistons and allows (see motor oils). In a simple embodiment, the oil is often cooled only in the oil pan, which is part of how the engine block is provided with cooling fins for increasing the surface area. A larger cooling power achieved an externally mounted oil cooler is inserted in the oil circuit. In most cases, serves the oil cooling of the support of air cooling with antique cars, motorcycles older or special sports cars.

Oil cooler an engine of the Rolls- Royce Avon

Cross-section of VW Beetle engine with oil cooler (yellow component back left)

Computer Technology

Also PC hobbyists occasionally use oil to cool entire computer systems. Oil is a good electrical insulator, which means it can not conduct appreciable current. Therefore, it can - unlike the water in a PC water cooling - safely come into contact with the system. So there are no short circuits even when leaks in hoses and heatsinks. You can even set the entire computer electronics (except disk drives and other components with moving parts ) in an oil bath and continue to operate normally. This technique can also be used if you want to overclock a CPU or GPU. The oil as a liquid conductor of heat, the temperature drops - although not as strong as with a water cooling since oils typically have a lower specific heat capacity than water - and there is a no overheating. The type of oil is not as significant. Normal cooking oil is preferred by hobbyists also because of the low price. Note, however, that cooking oil and other in true fats (ie fatty acid triglycerides ) based oils, as opposed to mineral oil or synthetic oils, in contact with the oxygen of the air to go rancid over time, the waste heat of the machine accelerates this process still. Therefore, it is recommended to use in the oil cooling of computer technology transformer oil or acid and resin free silicone oil. Silicone oil is health much lower concern than other non - edible oils. With the use of silicone oil is to make sure that the computer case to use ( eg an aquarium ) is not bonded with silicone, as silicone oil can dissolve any silicone.