For datacenters specifically I've never understood what specifically consumes the water. Arent the water-cooling loops closed, so the water just cycles around and around and around?

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SirMaster 6 hours ago | parent | next [-]

They evaporate the water which is what makes it cool so effeciently.

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Ductapemaster 6 hours ago | parent [-]

Evaporative cooling does not necessitate an open loop system

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Eisenstein 4 hours ago | parent [-]

The system which runs coolant over the chips can be closed but the part which uses an evaporative system to cool that is still open loop and vents water into the air, no?

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Ductapemaster an hour ago | parent [-]

Nope, it doesn't have to be open loop!

Example of such a system being used specifically for datacenters: https://blog.vantage-dc.com/2026/04/22/cooling-without-the-d...

Evaporated water is condensed, and in the process transfers its heat into another place that removes it. Another simple example is a pot of boiling water with a lid on it.

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Eisenstein 18 minutes ago | parent [-]

The link you cited is not evaporative cooling and a pot of boiling water with a sealed lid on it is a pressure vessel which eventually explodes.

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Ductapemaster 13 minutes ago | parent [-]

If you were to remove the heat at a sufficient rate by, say, turning the lid into a heat exchanger, you would have a stable system.

	▲	Eisenstein 4 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		How is that different from not using evaporative cooling and just putting the heat exchanger on the burner?

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justincormack 6 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Yes they are for water cooling.