Consumer-grade heat pipe cooling solutions typically rely on water as a working fluid. This works great until a system needs to be used in freezing conditions, since the water could turn into ice and damage the pipe or even parts of the computer.
That’s why congatec has unveiled a heat pipe cooling solution that relies on acetone as a working fluid in the heat pipes instead of water. It will work reliably at extreme sub-zero temperatures down to -40°C, and the company also claims the solution is insensitive to mechanical stresses such as shock and vibration.
The acetone-based cooling solution will be used in conjunction with Computer-on-Module (COMs) from the company such as the COM Express Type 6 conga-TC675 or rugged-version conga-TC675r powered by up to 45W Intel Raptor Lake processor, as well as COM HPC Mini, Client or Server modules.
Congatec explains that it will lower the cost of embedded systems working in extreme climatic and mechanical conditions, such as arctic temperatures, which so far, required complex and cost-intensive “COTS-based slot or full-custom system designs to achieve the required reliability”. The solution is best suited for designs operating within the industrial temperature range of -40°C to +85°C. Specific applications include autonomous and conventional vehicles exposed to extreme conditions, such as logistics vehicles in ports, airports, and cold stores, as well as rail and aviation systems, and other scenarios where extreme temperatures and mechanical stresses could affect system reliability.
I can see several research papers about acetone heat pipes, but no actual products, so the congatec solution looks like a first. Methanol appears to be more widely used in cooling pipes (although mostly not for computer systems), due to its lower freezing temperature (-78°C) compared to -48°C for acetone.
Congatec says it “premiered” its latest heat pipe cooling solution for extreme environmental conditions at Embedded World 2025, but it’s unclear whether that means there’s a demo, the product was just showcased at the event, or simply announced. A cooling solutions page can be found on the company’s website, but the acetone-based heat pipe solution is yet to be listed there.
Jean-Luc started CNX Software in 2010 as a part-time endeavor, before quitting his job as a software engineering manager, and starting to write daily news, and reviews full time later in 2011.
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Am I the only one who sees the marketing failure in not calling this company cognactec? 🙂
I suspect this would be company with a bit different products.
They could always use cognac as the working fluid in the heat pipe. I wonder what the freezing temperature of cognac is?
Thanks for this article. I sort of assumed that something other than water was used as the working fluid in heat pipes and I’m somewhat surprised to find out that water is commonly used. Now I feel like looking up papers on thermal flow vs temperatures for different heat pipe thermal systems.