AI clusters and electric vehicle platforms are hitting thermal limits that air systems can’t manage efficiently. Immersion cooling oil—a high-purity, dielectric specialty oil—pulls heat out at the source so you can run denser, faster, and more reliably. Contact us to learn more.
Computers and battery systems are getting smaller, hotter, and more power-dense, making the problem of overheating more difficult to overcome.
Immersion cooling is the solution. This technology puts dielectric cooling fluid in direct contact with heat sources, carrying energy away quickly without conducting electricity.
Real-world deployments are now proving the case in both data centers and EV (electric vehicle) prototypes, with major vendors validating server designs and automakers demonstrating immersion-cooled battery packs.
For operations teams, the next step is choosing the right fluid (such as natural gas-to-liquid isoparaffins) and building a supply plan that scales.
Suzanne Kingsbury, Director of Quality
How Immersion Cooling Oil Works
Before we talk deployment, let’s define the fluid. Immersion cooling oils are dielectric specialty oils designed to touch electronics safely, electrically insulate, carry heat away quickly, and stay stable over long service life.
- Dielectric by design: By submerging the heat-producing chips and circuitry or battery cells, the fluid efficiently removes heat without conducting electricity.
- Liquid conducts faster: Air cooling limits heat transfer due to its low heat capacity, and increasing the air flow costs energy and produces noise.
- Immersion is better than point contact: Heat conducting paste used for water cooled CPU chips limits the possible heat transfer contact surface and is often a point of failure.
- High purity & low volatility: The best immersion fluids emphasize very low impurities and predictable evaporation behavior, helping with cleanliness, odor, and longevity.
- Engineered stability: Strong oxidation and thermal stability support long drain intervals and consistent performance under load.
Where Immersion Cooling Oil Makes the Biggest Difference
Immersion shines where density and uptime matter. In practice, we’re seeing two major hot spots: data centers and EV (electric vehicle) platforms.
- AI & high-density data centers: Single-phase immersion gives operators a clearer path to higher, steadier performance while reducing reliance on massive air handling and water use. Formal certification programs are helping de-risk adoption and speed standardization.
- Electric vehicles (battery packs & EDUs): Demonstrator vehicles with immersion-cooled packs show faster charging, improved range, and better thermal event containment—key steps toward higher-confidence electrification at scale.
Proof of Concept: TotalEnergies Lubricants
In a world first, TotalEnergies successfully equipped a hybrid car with this technology in Paris in early 2025. The Renault Mégane E-Tech features a “Cell-Shield” dielectric fluid to immersion-cool the battery. Tests reported 2x faster charging and about 6 percent more range, with improved control of thermal runaway, showing that immersion can lift EV performance and safety without redesigning the vehicle.
Why Teams Pick Immersion Over Air
If you’ve been on air cooling, switching technologies can feel daunting. Here’s why many teams are still making the move.
- Thermal headroom = performance: Lower, steadier temperatures support higher sustained clocks and tighter SLAs (service level agreements), i.e., fewer maintenance calls.
- Sustainability and siting flexibility: Immersion reduces total facility energy and water use versus air, which helps both PUE (power usage effectiveness) targets and site selection in hotter, drier regions.
- Floor-space efficiency: Denser racks and simplified air handling can shrink the footprint of new builds and retrofits.
A Quick Checklist for Choosing an Immersion Cooling Oil
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all fluid. Use this checklist to match a fluid to your duty cycle, materials, and warranty needs.
- Dielectric strength & thermal capacity: Confirm the fluid’s heat-load handling for your specific density and ambient conditions.
- Viscosity & volatility: Balance pumpability and film behavior with low loss rates to control top-ups and operating costs.
- Oxidation/thermal stability: Look for formulations proven to resist breakdown over long runs at elevated temperatures.
- Material compatibility: Validate against your plastics, elastomers, adhesives, and metals to avoid swelling or brittleness.
- Certification pathways: Favor fluids and reference designs aligned to major OEM programs so warranties and risk controls are clear.
Implementation Patterns That Work
Most teams de-risk immersion by starting small, then standardizing. Here are a few common approaches.
- Pilot → row → zone: Begin with a single rack pilot to validate thermals, fluid handling, and monitoring, then scale in stages.
- Hybrid liquid stacks: Pair immersion for your hottest AI/HPC (high performance computing) racks with direct liquid cooling (DLC) elsewhere to speed adoption and reduce overall capital expenditure.
- EV sprints at pack level: In automotive R&D, prototype immersion-cooled packs first (to validate charge-rate, range, and safety) before platform-wide integration.
Some manufacturers are beginning to build systems with immersion cooling in mind, adding confidence and speed to the immersion cooling oil adoption process:
“As data center demands continue to grow, Intel Data Center Certified for Immersion Cooling solutions will play a crucial role in delivering energy-efficient and scalable computing infrastructure.” — Karin Eibschitz Segal, Corporate Vice President, Intel
What This Means for Your Supply Plan
Cooling is only half the win. Supply security is the other half. As more operators adopt immersion, ensuring reliable access to the right fluid becomes strategic.
- Stocking and logistics matter: Align contract volumes to your rollout schedule and keep buffers at regional supply points to cover surges or disruptions.
- Quality at scale: Specify purity, stability, and QC requirements up front, and monitor fluid condition in service to extend life.
- Cross-team SOPs: Train facilities, operations, and safety teams on fluid handling, top-ups, and end-of-life processes before go-live.
Why Renkert Oil as Your Immersion Cooling Oil Supplier
You need a partner who can help you choose the right immersion cooling oil—and keep you supplied as you scale.
- Product fit, not guesswork: We support GTL-based immersion fluids and adjacent specialty oils for mixed environments (immersion + DLC), and we help you match viscosity, volatility, and stability to your exact duty cycle.
- Supply security built-in: Deep inventories on select products, redundant supply points, and an experienced logistics network across the U.S. and Europe reduce your risk from weather, port delays, or policy shifts.
- Hands-on support: From material-compatibility guardrails to fluid-management SOPs, we help you move from pilot to standard quickly and safely.
Ready to run cooler and faster? Book a consult with Renkert Oil. Send us your heat-load profile, facility specs, or pack design goals, and we’ll build a short-list and stocking plan tailored to your rollout.