Jonro

Anyone thats installed a CPU onto a motherboard knows that thermal paste is needed between the CPU and heat sink and cooling fan.

Could this be useful for RC engine application, could using a thin layer of thermal paste between the head button and heat sink improve cooling?

phixd

iTrader: (22)

ARCTIC SILVER!
it sounds like it should work? and by putting it on the head button, it has little chance of entering the piston & sleeve. I want to try it.

Jonro

Yep ARCTIC SILVER, basically works by filling in the microscopic pits and crevasses in the metallic surfaces of the CPU and heat sink allowing maximum heat transfer, i know it has a dramatic effect on CPU cooling and the metals used on a CPU are milled far superior to that of a head button and heat sink on a RC engine i would assume, so it should have some effect.

ezveedub

iTrader: (17)

I prefer Céramique.

scwrod

iTrader: (2)

The heat sinks on a computer are not as smooth as you think. This is where the paste comes in. I use to sand and polish the bottom of heat sinks until it was almost a mirror. This did help with temp.. If you use to much paste it can give the opposite effect(more heat). I don't think the paste would do much for a nitro engine. I could be wrong someone do some testing... If i was gonna go that far I would also want to polish the part of the head that contacts the engine case.

Allumina

iTrader: (27)

Yeah, like the guy above me said, RC heads have a much smoother finish than computer stuff does... take a look at a CPU, its basically a mat, satin, or brushed aluminum finish. Heat sinks arent much better, the bottom of my Zalman copper heatsink has a nice finish... but the top of my head button is a hell of a lot shinier.

ezveedub

iTrader: (17)

There would be more heat radiated at the head button/glowplug area. This area sees the most exposure to heat. Remember the head button goes into the sleeve and the combustion chanber is there. Head button to sleeve/block would not offer more heat transfer. It would transfer heat from the sleeve to the head button and then button to the cooling head, but still the head button is constantly exposed to heat at all times. Gettting the heat from the button to the cooling head is the best setup. Actually too much and you'll need to get a hotter glowplug.

The OS Speed cooling head and button are machined fairly close and tight together. Heat compound would most likely seem a change here. The Novarossi head buttons are smooth also, but the cooling head is not. This I don't think would be the greatest chance to see an improvement with heat compound. If it were machined flat so it fits the button better, then yes, I could see it working. The best setup is to have the button and cooling head transfer heat evenly like one piece, not having one hotter than the other.

All speculation, but still something to try. Thats why this is a hobby.

Semple

iTrader: (3)

I've used Arctic Silver on electric cars(experimental, results: pointless), but never nitro. As stated, it shouldn't make a difference on a button head.

AlanHall

iTrader: (43)

my computer only gets a little over 100deg.. are you guys sure this stuff even works at 220? or will it melt away or somthing?

Allumina

iTrader: (27)

I think arctic silver works up to like... 180 degrees celcius or something. It is good stuff, I used it on my last computer on the copper chipset blocks for my watercooling, that system was really overclocked so silver5 stood up to the test

153stars

iTrader: (8)

My monster head came with heatsink compound with instructions to do just that, it was sandy color probably ceramic based. High temp Neverseize works as good as any compound stir well.