How much money could a new computer cooling system save the country in electricity costs?

A new passive cooling system for computer processors being developed at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) could save U.S. residents more than $6.3 billion collectively on electricity costs associated with computer cooling fans. The group developing the system was awarded $10,000 through the 2014 UAH Charger Innovation Fund, along with several other projects, like a quiet lawnmower blade project, a complexity engine for education, and 3-D printer project that aims to create analogs to human organs.

"If you can do this for the world, we can save a whole lot of pollution globally," said James Smith, a UAH chemical engineering professor emeritus who is working with graduate students to optimize the system. "Think of what could be done in China alone."

Students found they could use heat from the processor to vaporize an electronics cooling liquid called Fluorinert FC-72 and transfer that vapor to a heat exchanger, where it releases energy into the environment, transfers back into a holding tank and then returns to the processor to continue the cycle. Students report their system can hold temperatures stable for 12 hours and also noted that eliminating fans can reduce the buildup of dust that degrades electronics performance and can eventually cause failure.