Answer
Nov 29, 2019 - 05:51 AM
System Setup for SLICTank-002 with Koolance Cooling Unit
Please don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any questions in setting up your system. Email us any questions at support@engineeredfluids.com
The Koolance ERM-3k3u Cooling Unit’s operating instructions are available here.
Keep in mind that the Koolance units as supplied by Koolance are designed for use with water-based coolants. The unit that you have received from Engineered Fluids has been fully retrofitted specifically for use with our AmpCool / BitCool / ElectroCool Dielectric Coolants. As part of the retrofit we have also added the optional flow meter inside the unit which is controllable from the control panel of the unit.
The Koolance ERM-3k3u unit at full fan and pump speed will support about 2kW of cooling using our Dielectric Coolants in our tanks. The actual cooling capacity will vary based on the tank and equipment being cooled.
Warning: If you use a standard Koolance cooling unit without doing the Engineered Fluids' retrofit for use with our Dielectric Coolants it will fail and leak due to incompatibility of our Coolants with the standard buna O-Rings and vinyl tubing used in the standard units.
System Set up instructions:
- Place the SLICTank on a table and cooling unit on the floor standing up right on its side with the coolant fill port on top. During filling you want to make sure the SLICTank hose ports are always higher than the top of the cooling unit. We are going to use gravity to help fill up the cooling unit.
- Attach the hoses with the OUT from cooling unit going into the cooling chamber (Large Chamber) of the SLICTank. Attach both hoses using either the quick disconnects or the barb fittings. If using barb fittings make sure to use clamps to securely fasten the hoses on the barbs.
OR
- Loosen (but don’t fully remove) the fill port cap from the cooling unit. You are going to let the air escape from the cooling unit as it fills with Dielectric Coolant.
- Place the flow control plate in the bottom of the SLICTank with the flat part up and there is a cut out where the in-flow hose fitting enters the tank. The cut out fits over the fitting so the plate sits flat on the bottom of the SLICTank . It will only fit one way with the flat part up, you want the fluid to enter under the plate.
- Fill the cooling chamber with Dielectric Coolant. The Dielectric Coolant will also travel down the hose and into the cooling unit, let this continue until you see the coolant level rise in the glass tube at the front of the cooling unit and a little coolant exits the cooling unit’s fill port. Immediately close the port.
- If you don’t see the Dielectric Coolant filling the glass tube, you can fully remove the fill cap, and insert a long narrow funnel into the fill port and then put a thin tube or straw down into the unit through the funnel. Make sure the tube doesn’t completely fill up the hole in the funnel as we are going to pour Dielectric Coolant into the unit. The tube is there to allow air to escape from the cooling unit as you pour coolant into the funnel. The tube will make the process cleaner and faster. If you don’t use the tube pour VERY slowly and have lots of paper towels handy for clean-up.
- Once the glass tube is full, you should not be able to see the coolant level in the glass tube, the fill port should be fully closed and sealed. Clean up any spilled coolant with paper towels and window cleaner that may have spilled on the cooling unit.
- Start pouring Dielectric Coolant into the SLICTank's cooling chamber (Large Chamber) and allow it to overflow into the recovery chamber (small chamber), until the recovery chamber has about 4-6cm of fluid in it. Wait a bit and see how much coolant flows down into the cooling unit and then continue fill the cooling chamber until the coolant level stabilizes with about 4-6cm of coolant in the recovery chamber of the SLICTank .
- Plug in the cooling unit and turn it on. The pump and fans will begin running. There is another switch to turn on the light in the glass tube which makes it easier to see the coolant level.
- Turn the pump up to full speed (Level 10). You may see air coming out of the cooling unit and into the SLICTank for a short time as the system purges air. You will also bubbles and air in the glass tube, once you have a steady flow of fluid from the cooling chamber to the recovery channel, check the level of fluid in the recovery channel. During operation you want to maintain a minimum of 4-6cm of fluid in the recovery chamber at all times as you do not want the system sucking air by emptying the recovery chamber.
- If there is air in the cooling unit's glass tube you can partially open the fill port and let the air come out, just unscrew the fill port until you see the coolant level in the glass tube start to rise, and allow it to rise until you cannot see it. Then shut the fill port and seal it. You can do this anytime you see air in the system. It is normal to see bubbles in the glass tube during the first 4-6 hours of operation as small air pockets are pushed out of the cooling unit by the heated coolant.
- If you are constantly seeing a lot of air in the glass tube during operation then you either do not have enough fluid in the recovery chamber and the system is sucking air, or you need to add more fluid to the recovery chamber once you have all of your equipment installed. The less distance the coolant falls over the wall and into the recovery chamber the better, as a long fall aerates the coolant (adds bubbles to it) which lowers the efficiency of the cooling unit.
- During operation there must always be a minimum of 2cm difference in coolant levels between the cooling chamber and recovery chamber. Overfill the tank so that there is no difference between coolant heights in the chamber allows the heated coolant to remain in the cooling chamber and will cause your system to overheat.
- The tank will operate no smell without the lid, and in a clean environment with no problem. If dust or debris accumulates in the tank, just remove the equipment, and slowly pour the fluid back into the plastic buckets using a large funnel. Clean the dirt out of the tank. Using a large funnel, put some paper towel or a paper coffee filter on the bottom of the funnel and very slowly pour the coolant back into the funnel, through the filter paper, and into the tank. The paper towel/coffee filter will filter out the dirt in the coolant.
- Install your equipment in the tank, taking care that you do not overflow the coolant out of the tank. If necessary remove some of the coolant to get the correct level of coolant in the tank.
- Make sure the level of the equipment in the tank places all of the CPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, GPUs chips (the interface ports, and any control board do not have to be immersed) at least 2cm under fluid. Place the equipment in the tank directly over the open slots on the flow control plate. You want fluid to exit the flow control plate and flow directly over the equipment. If you place the equipment in the tank where there is no flowing coolant you risk over-heating the cards.
- You can hang power supply units (PSU) if needed on the side of the tank using the small hanging mounting plates. Attach some small rubber or felt feet onto the side of the PSU to prevent it from scratching the side of your SLICTank. Hang the PSU on the side of the tank with the hanger on the side of the wall of the tank. You can tighten any screws slightly to allow for a firm fit, but do not over tighten or you will crack the edge of the SLICTank.
- You can now attach the power cables to the devices and network cables, etc.
- To turn the system on - always turn on the cooling unit FIRST, then the equipment.
- To turn the system off - always turn off the equipment FIRST and then allow the cooling unit to operate for 10-15mins to cool off the coolant in the tank.
- During operation the cooling unit must have a minimum of 8cm of clearance on both sides to allow the air to flow through it. It can be placed either vertically or horizontally. But in all orientations it must have good air flow or your system will over heat.
- You can adjust the speed of the fans and the pump in the cooling unit to find the right speeds to maintain your best operating temperature.
- You can attach K-TYPE temperature probes (not included) to monitor the temperature, see the Koolance instruction manual for how to connect these probes.
- The cooling unit works best if the top of the unit is lower or at the same level as the coolant level in the tank.
- DO NOT place the cooling unit exit ports higher than the height of the tank walls. If there is an air leak in the fill port of the cooling unit and the cooling unit is higher than the tank walls, the coolant may flow down out of the cooling unit and into the tank and overfill it.
- For cleaning the tank we recommend using light paper towels or cotton rags and window cleaner. Heavy paper towels will scratch your tank.
- If you want your tank to look “SLIC” you can also add LED light strips directly into the tank and attach them to a small aluminum or steel rod to hold them down at the bottom or sides as you prefer. We just use small zip-ties to attach to the LED strip to the rod. Using adhesive tapes usually doesn’t work long term.
Add New Comment