IBM Supercomputer Cooled With Hot Water 89
1sockchuck writes "IBM has deployed an innovative supercomputer cooled by hot water in a Zurich computer lab. The Aquasar supercomputer employs a chip-level liquid cooling system that can use water at temperatures as high as 60 degrees C (140 degrees F), and as a result consumes up to 40 percent less energy than a comparable system using room-level air-cooling. The system also uses waste heat to provide warmth to buildings, reducing Aquasar's carbon footprint even further."
Re:There is a video (Score:3, Insightful)
If evaporation is considered a possible explanation, then the containers aren't sealed. If the containers aren't sealed and have equal volumes of water, then they have unequal masses of water. The specific heat is the amount of heat per unit mass required to raise the temperature by one degree Celsius. In order to prove that hot water can freeze faster, you must have an equal mass. Since radiation is a function of surface area, you must also have an equal volume. Therefore you must have sealed containers and unequal pressures. This is not the experiment described on Wikipedia.
However, it would be an extremely interesting experiment to perform. I'd actually suggest three closed containers (one with cold water, one with hot water and equal pressure, one with hot water and equal mass). I'd also suggest running thermocouples to the center of each container and plotting the temperature over time. This will eliminate all of the unknowns and variables not accounted for in the original experiment or in the Wikipedia write-up.
Regardless of what the results show, they will be quite interesting and useful for students starting on the topic of thermodynamics.
Re:There is a video (Score:3, Insightful)
Thermodynamics students would benefit from a correct understanding of heat transfer. If the model is faulty, then their calculations will be in error. If the counter-claims are faulty, knowing and understanding why will prevent them from going in messed-up directions. Extracting useful work is only possible (on any quantitative level) if you know what work can be usefully extracted.