Extreme and Unique Uses of Air Cooling

July 6 2018

James Patten

 

Unknown to many, there is an array of extreme and exciting ways in which air cooling can be used.

Beyond the typical use of air cooling systems which function to produce a cool ventilation for indoor businesses, pioneering air-cooling systems have been used by NASA to study quantum physics in a ultra-cool laboratory, by the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup committee to develop systems to cool entire stadiums abroad and even by Total Geekdom to create an extreme air-cooled computer.

Here’s a look at some recent more extreme uses of air cooling.

Nasa

Using air cooling, NASA have created the coolest space in the universe; the Cold Atom Lab (CAL) at the International Space Station.

The CAL makes use of lasers and magnets to create clouds of atoms at an astonishing one billionth of a degree above absolute zero.

This means temperatures colder than in deep space and, with absolute zero being physically impossible to reach, this is as close to absolute zero as science can get.

The unimaginably cold temperatures unlock the opportunity for scientists to closely examine quantum phenomena, such as ultra-cold quantum gases, which are undetectable to us back here on Earth.

The cold gases studied have promising uses for quantum computing, optical data storage, improved atomic clocks and telecommunications.

Moreover, they allow us to further our understanding of exactly how the universe works.

Breakthrough findings from studies on particles in the CAL have been subverting the regular laws of physics, as matter has been shown to behave more like waves than particles.

This changes scientists’ fundamental understanding of what was thought possible in the universe.

Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup Committee

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is set to take place mid-year in Qatar, where temperatures can reach a scorching 50oC. How will we cope?

Qatar have promised to cool stadium temperatures down to a more reasonable 23oC with radical air-conditioning technology.

Their smaller scale 500-seater prototype stadium, the Qatar Showcase, successfully demonstrates how the air-cooling process works.

Solar panels, placed outside the stadium, are implemented to collect solar energy. This energy is then harnessed to power an absorption chiller to cool water temperatures to a constant 6oC. The chiller’s output is stored by “phase change materials” and is used to cool air before it is finally blown throughout the stadium.

Despite this innovative system being a successful prototype, FIFA organisers and players are still pushing for the games to be postponed until December.

This is due to worries around the applicability of this air cooling system to a larger stadium and the lack of relief from high temperatures for fans whilst travelling to and from the Qatar stadium.

Total Geekdom

Large, high-end computers are known for severely overheating, and typical methods for cooling just aren’t practical. So, Mike, at Total Geekdom wanted to see if he could use air cooling as an innovative solution to the problem.

The outcome was an extravagant construction, consisting mainly of a retro style control panel and a wind tunnel. This wind tunnel was used to minimise the amount of dead space whilst simultaneously maximising the coverage of cold air over the overheating components.

Overheating is as much an issue for us in offices and other buildings as it is for computers. So, if you would like to make sure your space is kept cool with our commercial air conditioning packages, please get in touch with our experienced and friendly team today.

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