Congatec showed off a brand new cooling system at Embedded World 2025. They created heat pipes using acetone instead of water. This special design works in super cold places where temperatures drop far below freezing. Even when it's freezing outside, computer processors still generate lots of heat that need to be moved away quickly.
The acetone system keeps working all the way down to -40°C because acetone doesn't freeze until it reaches -95°C. Water-based cooling stops working at 0°C when it turns to ice. Water actually moves heat better than acetone (it absorbs 2,260 joules per gram), but that doesn't matter if the water freezes solid!
This new cooling prevents ice build-up and cuts down on moisture problems. It creates a reliable way to transfer heat for arctic research stations, mountain equipment, freezer facilities, and factory machines in harsh winter areas. Think about servers running at the North Pole that need to handle data right where it's collected for science teams.
You can plug this cooling directly into Congatec's Computer-on-Module systems like COMe, COM-HPC, and COM-HPC mini designs. Users won't need to build custom cooling from scratch. They'll also sell a special adapter for unique setups. The company made clear that this acetone cooling works best just for extremely cold places, not everyday use. For normal temperatures, water cooling remains better because it removes heat more effectively, costs less, and can be found anywhere.
The acetone system keeps working all the way down to -40°C because acetone doesn't freeze until it reaches -95°C. Water-based cooling stops working at 0°C when it turns to ice. Water actually moves heat better than acetone (it absorbs 2,260 joules per gram), but that doesn't matter if the water freezes solid!
This new cooling prevents ice build-up and cuts down on moisture problems. It creates a reliable way to transfer heat for arctic research stations, mountain equipment, freezer facilities, and factory machines in harsh winter areas. Think about servers running at the North Pole that need to handle data right where it's collected for science teams.
You can plug this cooling directly into Congatec's Computer-on-Module systems like COMe, COM-HPC, and COM-HPC mini designs. Users won't need to build custom cooling from scratch. They'll also sell a special adapter for unique setups. The company made clear that this acetone cooling works best just for extremely cold places, not everyday use. For normal temperatures, water cooling remains better because it removes heat more effectively, costs less, and can be found anywhere.
