US food company Cargill has created an immersion cooling fluid for data centers based on plant products.
NatureCool 2000 is a dielectric liquid designed for immersion cooling systems such as those in data centers and crypto mining facilities, as well as other industrial applications. It's made from at least 90 percent vegetable oil, and designed to replace fluids derived from petroleum.
“Immersion cooling is the new frontier of technologies that allows for more efficient, higher performing systems that also help make the IT industry more sustainable,” said Kurtis Miller, the managing director of Cargill’s bio-industrial business.
Cargill claims the fluid has a 10 percent higher heat capacity than leading synthetic immersion cooling fluids. Because it comes from plants that have naturally trapped carbon, it can be said to be CO2 neutral.
The product also passes safety standards, with a high flash point of 325°C. Unlike some other immersion fluids, it can't self-ignite, because its flames will go out after the heat source is removed.
Cargill has been getting involved in the data center sector, to back this product launch. The company has a business development manager for cooling products, Kristin Anderson.
The company has joined the Open Compute Project, and Anderson, alongside scientific advisor Kevin Wirtz, has contributed to the OCP's Requirements document for immersion cooling.
