Chinese researchers discover new salty cooling solution that can drop temperatures by more than 50 degrees Celsius in seconds — depressurizing saturated fluid triggers massive amounts of heat transfer

Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences have discovered that saturating water with ammonium thiocyanate salt and pressurizing it, and then suddenly releasing the pressure, would allow it to cool by 30 degrees C (54 degrees F) at room temperatures, even going as far as a 50-degree C (122 degrees F) drop in warmer environments. The research paper, published in Nature [PDF], presents this as a greener alternative to current refrigerants, with its theoretical efficiency hitting almost 80% — much higher than conventional refrigerants — making it a great solution for the thermal issues that data centers face.

The researchers compare the system to a wet sponge, with water acting as the sponge and salt acting as the absorbed fluid. When you apply pressure on the sponge (the water), the fluid (the ammonium thiocyanate salt) will be squeezed out and release heat. But when you reduce the pressure, it will quickly reabsorb the solution and reabsorb the heat from its environment, causing a quick temperature drop.

“Cooling systems currently account for nearly 40 percent of a data center’s total electricity consumption,” state media CCTV said. “This finding could provide a more efficient cooling solution for these high-energy-consumption facilities.” The development could reduce the power needed to cool AI chips, especially as we get chips that deliver more performance while requiring higher power. Aside from this, it can also be used in other applications, like HVAC systems.

Although ammonium thiocyanate is a salt, it’s not corrosive to many common metals, meaning you do not have to use special piping to use it for cooling. However, it still faces several challenges. For one, you still need electricity to compress the refrigerant. The salt can also cause burns and irritation, making it more difficult to handle than some compounds. Aside from that, it’s hygroscopic and absorbs moisture, potentially affecting the long-term stability of the solution.

Still, this has the potential to reduce data center electricity consumption — a big problem that many AI tech companies are grappling with right now. Even China, which has ample electricity supply for all the data centers it’s building, is considering this a breakthrough, allowing it to be more cost-efficient and competitive when in the AI race.

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