Don’t be afraid of high temperatures even in the beginning of summer — A practical guide to cooling down mining machines

An ancient poem says:

The heat exposes everything, and nothing can escape.

Those who are dry want to produce fire, and those who are liquid want to shed ointment.

In addition to people having to endure the torment of high temperatures, mining machines also face challenges.

Some time ago, I shared with you the "Mining Machine Noise Prevention Guide", which provided miners with many practical noise reduction ideas. Today, I will talk to you about how to make your mining machine safely through the hot summer.

The reason why professional mining machines can have higher computing power than graphics card mining machines is that professional mining machines use professional ASIC chips. The chips generate heat when performing a large number of calculations, which is the source of the high temperature of the mining machine.

Taking the Antminer S9 as an example, assuming the indoor temperature is 29 degrees, the fan is automatically adjusted (without setting a percentage), the air inlet temperature is about 32.8 degrees. The hot air temperature at the air outlet is about 44.9 degrees. The background chip temperature is about 63 degrees, and the chassis is about 36 degrees.

When summer comes, most parts of the country will experience temperatures above 35 degrees or even 40 degrees, which is very "fatal" to the mining machines that are already hot, because high temperatures can damage the chips and reduce the computing power, thus affecting the service life of the mining machines. Therefore, it is very necessary to cool the mining machines in summer.

If the noise of mining machines only disturbs people, the consequences of high temperature of mining machines are much more serious. It will not only affect the life of the machines, but also affect the physical and mental health of miners.

Thus, the great working people once again opened up their wisdom.

Some miners choose to conduct small-scale mining (within 10 mining machines) at home, in garages, attics and other places that are not professional mining farms . When there are few mining machines, air conditioning can indeed play a cooling role. But if there are many mining machines, first of all, the effect of air conditioning is difficult to play out. Secondly, an ordinary household air conditioner consumes about 1.3 kWh of electricity per hour on average, which is about 31.2 kWh in 24 hours. The Antminer S9 only consumes about 35 kWh a day, which is not suitable from a cost perspective.

Although the ventilation idea is correct, the problem that must be paid attention to in direct ventilation is dust prevention. If the mining machine is in a completely open environment, when the air inlet fan sends air into the chassis, some dust, small insects and other debris are very likely to take this opportunity to "take advantage of the opportunity to enter", damage the calculation board and other precision components in the chassis, and affect the performance of the mining machine. If the dust is not cleaned in time, the operating temperature of the mining machine will be higher, and eventually the machine will stop running or malfunction.

Although in theory, a high-speed fan can replace a low-speed fan, why are there differences in fan speeds between different models of Antminers? This is because the configuration of the Antminer is repeatedly tested by engineers, and each component will take into account how to achieve the best overall operation effect. If you replace the original fan with a high-speed fan, it means higher power consumption and greater noise, and may also affect the stability of the mining machine's performance.

We have previously interviewed an Antminer professional engineer, who made some comments and suggestions on how to cool down the miner. Let’s review them:

1. The fan must be an original Ant brand fan. The quality of other brands cannot be guaranteed.

2. A low-speed fan cannot replace a high-speed fan, but a high-speed fan can replace a low-speed fan.

3. Regular dust removal is very important. Do not dismantle the mining machine. You can use a high-pressure air gun to blow the dust in reverse. The frequency of dust removal is once a month.

4. Monitor the temperature of the mining machine at any time. If there is a problem, you can pause it. The temperature difference of the hashboard should be within 10 degrees.

5. It is not recommended to place the Antminer in oil for heat dissipation.

6. An indoor temperature of 20-30 degrees is best for the operation of the mining machine.

7. The chip temperature should be controlled at around 70-80 degrees. If the temperature exceeds this, it may be due to uncleaning.

8. The chip temperature is low. If the mining machine is running normally, the fan speed is low and the power consumption is relatively small.

So how can we cool down scientifically? First, let's look at how heat is transmitted.

It can be summarized into three types: heat conduction, heat convection and heat radiation.

Heat conduction refers to the transfer of heat by the thermal motion of particles inside an object when there is a temperature difference inside the object or when two different objects are in direct contact without any relative motion. For example, holding an ice cube in your hand will make you feel cold.
Thermal convection refers to the process of heat transfer caused by relative displacement between parts of a fluid (gas, liquid or some solids such as powder) with different temperatures, such as using cold water to mix boiling water into warm water.
Thermal radiation refers to the process of transferring energy through electromagnetic waves between objects that are not in contact with each other. Due to heat, the internal energy of an object is converted into the energy of electromagnetic waves (usually in the form of infrared rays) and radiates. For example, heat from the sun.

Therefore, we also have three ideas for rapid cooling:

1. Direct contact with objects at lower temperatures

At present, some people abroad have tried to use water cooling and oil cooling systems. This is a way to achieve a cooling effect by directly contacting the cooling liquid with the mining machine. In addition to cooling, there is no noise generated by the fan. Although it has not yet been widely used and popularized, with the advancement of technology, it is not ruled out that this method will be used to replace the fan to cool the mining machine in the future.

2. Place in a well-ventilated environment with low ambient temperature

As mentioned above, ventilation is necessary, but dust prevention must be done well. Nowadays, professional mines will install screens and shutters to reduce the entry of dust and other debris into the mine, and also prevent air backflow. In addition, many large mines will have industrial negative pressure fans, which have a very good heat dissipation effect.

Environments with lower temperatures usually include mountains and riverbanks. The higher the altitude, the lower the temperature. In addition, areas with high latitudes have lower temperatures throughout the year and are relatively more suitable for mining than areas with low latitudes.

3. Reduce the source of heat from the source.

It is impossible to shut down the machine, but cleaning is necessary. Regularly cleaning the dust inside the mining machine can effectively prevent the problem of the mining machine running overheating. The specific method can be to use a high-pressure air gun and blow from the air inlet to the air outlet several times.