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H100i Leak Detection Sensor?


Amfortas

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I just completed another system build and decided after much hesitation to go with the H100i as apposed to the HUGE air cooling options I found. Years ago I built a water cooled system which ended up leaking 6 months afterwards destroying many components. Thus my hesitation.

 

I'm wondering why a sensor couldn't be added to these inclosed liquid based systems that could detect a possible leak resulting in the system being automatically shutdown saving in many cases expensive hardware? Such a sensor could monitor pressure, liquid levels, etc. to achieve this goal.

 

I'm in a wheelchair and can't check for leaks every few days as I'd like. I'm sure many others for reasons of their own can't check frequently either. Such a sensor would give a lot of piece of mind and I know it would attract for more consumers to buy these products.

 

So far I'm very pleased with the performance of my H100i. My one and only complaint at this early stage is that if I leave it in "quiet mode" for awhile the fans make a "rattling noise". After I speed the fans up and back down again the noise goes away for awhile longer.

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I disagree. A leak in any portion of the unit would show a decrease in pressure and/or fluid level. Detecting where the leak is will at least for the foreseeable future rely on human visual inspection.

 

They can already monitor such things on other mechanical items such as newer vehicles so the technology already exists. Granted, doing this might very well see an increase in cost to the consumer, but I'm sure many would gladly pay for they added sensor. For those that don't want to spend a little more simply offer a model without the technology.

 

while a leak detection system would be nice,its also impossible to implement as theres just too many areas that could possibly leak from...
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your referring to a pressure detector,which imop would also be hard since pressure changes when temps changes,of course the idea would be a nice feature

the way i look at it is by the time a leak occurs,its time to replace the other parts as their gonna be old and out dated

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The variants of the pressure based on temperature is easily calculated since the device/software monitors enough to form a calculation already. From an engineering perspective it is easy and wouldn't add much if any bulk to the pump's size.

 

Before I responded to you, I submitted the patten documentation for use in PC cooling applications. I'll know by next week if a patten similar enough already exists. I of course, didn't base my design enough off of any known self contained liquid CPU coolers to infringe on any product offered on the market.

 

It is doable and should have already been produced. As I stated before the only foreseeable drawback is it'll probable cost a bit more to consumers.

 

your referring to a pressure detector,which imop would also be hard since pressure changes when temps changes,of course the idea would be a nice feature

the way i look at it is by the time a leak occurs,its time to replace the other parts as their gonna be old and out dated

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Positive pressure would work well if the pipes were solid, however being that they are flexible and that you would not want to add pressure as that would cause a worse situation its not really viable.

 

same goes with fluid level, since you would have to have a consistent high point in all possible installation configurations which would severely restrict options for the end user

 

now negative pressure could work in a flexible pipe based system, however, the pipes would have to be more rigid and/or slightly reinforced which is undesirable

 

Also it would have to be a pressure switch (a full pressure transducer/sensor is not cheap for the size needed for the pump body)

 

so at this time, its just not economical or desirable because of various restrictions IMO

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if your H100I does spring a leak. then corsair as part of the warranty of there enclosed systems will refund fair market value of your damaged components due to a water cooler leak. I might be wrong I think that corsair is the only company that does this!! that's good customer service I think!!
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if your H100I does spring a leak. then corsair as part of the warranty of there enclosed systems will refund fair market value of your damaged components due to a water cooler leak. I might be wrong I think that corsair is the only company that does this!! that's good customer service I think!!

 

even this is done on a case by case basis and are not obligated to do so but has been just to provide positive customer satisfaction...

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I ordered a number of liquid cooling systems both closed and user built kits. I built a "hot tray" the size of a 2011 CPU that will heat up to 110c (230f). Myself and a friend who is a engineering grad (who works with a chip maker) will be working on a solution for both types of systems based on our design. I'll also be writing the software portion that will allow the end users the monitor and if need be shut computer down.

 

The one unknown for us at this point is how much if any air is in the closed systems. Obviously, the amount of air in any system will through the pressure levels off. I'm not going to dissect or test the system I built in any way. all tests will be done with simulated "chip heat".

 

I won't go into too many details for obvious reasons. The one goal that we ultimately have is to offer something for both closed systems and kits. Granted, the kits will be more challenging since the end user will need to hook everything up and bleed the lines of air etc.

 

I mock up we did back in collage proved the concept is possible. Since manufactures either don't want the added tooling or don't believe it's possible then we'll do it. After all, inventions is how we got to where we all are now. :)

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Well my thoughts are:

For starters you need two pressure sensors, one for ambient and one for coolant.

 

The amount of air in the system will not change the over all pressure much, unless you get near the boiling point of the fluid used in that system. What it will change is how fast the pressure builds; more air, and it takes longer; less air, it will build pressure quicker.

 

also keep in mind that ambient air temp will have a small effect on the pressure of the system as well as the heated coolant temp after it leaves the block/pump

 

So some of the calculations to determine if there is a leak can get kind of crazy and be prone to errors

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I'm not sure these systems have much pressure at all? The only pressure that would be needed is pressure to lift the water to the highest point of the system. which is really the weight of the water above the pump. I would think that this is very little. Naturally there is a slight increase as the water heats up. Any air in the system only lessens the pressure increase, because it compresses as the water expands. A pressure sensor to detect such small variations would be hard to make affordable and would more than likely lead to unnecessary shutdowns. From my point of view a water level detector would be a more viable option, but would be slower to react, because of different mounting applications. I like where your going with this, but as usual things are not a simple as they seem. My experience is with hot water heating, which is similar, but the principles apply. A quick search shows water generates .036 PSI per inch, so you can see the small amounts of change you would be dealing with.
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From a point of view of an engineer I think the pressure sensor will not work because usually the leak is small and the pressure should not change too much; on the other hand if the leak is big you can measure a pressure drop but this means that the liquid will be out of the unit instantly.
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From a point of view of an engineer I think the pressure sensor will not work because usually the leak is small and the pressure should not change too much; on the other hand if the leak is big you can measure a pressure drop but this means that the liquid will be out of the unit instantly.

 

agreed,by the time a signal is detected,the damage is done therefore having the sensor is a moot point...

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even this is done on a case by case basis and are not obligated to do so but has been just to provide positive customer satisfaction...
I also agree on that to. I think that corsair is the only one that provides that kind of customer satisfaction as well. most other companies would tell you its a chance you take when you water cool!!
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  • 2 months later...

Bingo, finally found this thread..

 

I believe corsair R&D team consist prodigy of scientist and engineers :p. Hopefully, they will find monitoring system using pressure difference againts time. Both parameters create certain type curve in certain condition. Take many examples of pressure difference againts time from normal H100i. On the other hand, acquisite the same data from leaked H100i (purposely) and -about to leak- H100i. With any luck, we are able to differenciate -about to leak- conditions and trigger leak alarm.

The idea was adopted from petroleum engineers guys who try to understand reservoir (subsurface) behavoir which located about thousands feet below the ground with a looot of uncertainty.. while we have here controlled environment right?.

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