Fluorinert

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Fluorinert is the trademarked brand name for the line of electronics coolant liquids sold commercially by 3M. As perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), all Fluorinert variants have an extremely high global warming potential (GWP), [1] so should be used with caution (see below). It is an electrically insulating, stable fluorocarbon-based fluid, which is used in various cooling applications. It is mainly used for cooling electronics. Different molecular formulations are available with a variety of boiling points, allowing it to be used in "single-phase" applications, where it remains a liquid, or for "two-phase" applications, where the liquid boils to remove additional heat by evaporative cooling. An example of one of the compounds 3M uses is FC-72 (perfluorohexane, C6F14). Perfluorohexane is used for low-temperature heat-transfer applications due to its 56 °C (133 °F) boiling point. Another example is FC-75, perfluoro(2-butyl-tetrahydrofurane). There are 3M fluids that can handle up to 215 °C (419 °F), such as FC-70 (perfluorotripentylamine). [2]

Contents

Fluorinert is used in situations where air cannot carry away enough heat, or where airflow is so restricted that some sort of forced pumping is required.

Toxicity

Fluorinert may be harmful if inhaled, and care should be taken to avoid contact with eyes and skin. However, according to the documentation from the manufacturer, no health effects are expected from ingestion of Fluorinert. [3] Usage of fluorinated oils should be limited to closed systems and reduced volumes, since they have a very high global-warming potential and a long atmospheric lifetime. [4]

The Fluorinert-filled "fountain" of a Cray-2 Cray-2, pt. 2 (2297936764).jpg
The Fluorinert-filled "fountain" of a Cray-2

Although Fluorinert was intended to be inert, the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory discovered that the liquid cooling system of their Cray-2 supercomputers decomposed during extended service, producing some highly toxic perfluoroisobutene. [5] Catalytic scrubbers were installed to remove this contaminant.

The science-fiction film The Abyss (1989) depicted an experimental liquid-breathing system, in which the use of highly oxygenated Fluorinert enabled a diver to descend to great depths. While several rats were shown actually breathing Fluorinert, scenes depicting actor Ed Harris using the fluid-breathing apparatus were simulated. [6]

Global warming potential

Fluorinert perfluorotributylamine absorbs infra-red (IR) wavelengths readily and has a long atmospheric lifetime. As such, it has a very high global warming potential (GWP) of ~9,000, [1] and it should be used in closed systems only and carefully managed to minimize emissions.

Alternatives

Due to Fluorinert's high global warming potential, alternative low global warming potential agents were found and sold under the brand names Novec Engineered Fluids. There are two types of chemical compounds under Novec branding for similar industrial applications:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fluorocarbon</span> Class of chemical compounds

Fluorocarbons are chemical compounds with carbon-fluorine bonds. Compounds that contain many C-F bonds often have distinctive properties, e.g., enhanced stability, volatility, and hydrophobicity. Several fluorocarbons and their derivatives are commercial polymers, refrigerants, drugs, and anesthetics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Refrigerant</span> Substance in a refrigeration cycle

A refrigerant is a working fluid used in the refrigeration cycle of air conditioning systems and heat pumps where in most cases they undergo a repeated phase transition from a liquid to a gas and back again. Refrigerants are heavily regulated due to their toxicity, flammability and the contribution of CFC and HCFC refrigerants to ozone depletion and that of HFC refrigerants to climate change.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Computer cooling</span> The process of removing waste heat from a computer

Computer cooling is required to remove the waste heat produced by computer components, to keep components within permissible operating temperature limits. Components that are susceptible to temporary malfunction or permanent failure if overheated include integrated circuits such as central processing units (CPUs), chipsets, graphics cards, hard disk drives, and solid state drives.

Difluoromethane, also called difluoromethylene, HFC-32Methylene Fluoride or R-32, is an organic compound of the dihalogenoalkane variety. It has the formula of CH2F2. It is a colorless gas in the ambient atmosphere and is slightly soluble in water, with a high thermal stability. Due to the low melting and boiling point, (−136.0 and −51.6 °C [−212.8 and −60.9 °F; 137.2 and 221.6 K] respectively) contact with this compound may result in frostbite. In the United States, the Clean Air Act Section 111 on Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) has listed difluoromethane as an exception (since 1997) from the definition of VOC due to its low production of tropospheric ozone. Difluoromethane is commonly used in endothermic processes such as refrigeration or air conditioning.

Perfluoro(2-methyl-3-pentanone) is a fluorinated ketone with the structural formula CF3CF2C(=O)CF(CF3)2, a fully-fluorinated analog of ethyl isopropyl ketone. It is used as an electronics coolant liquid and fire protection fluid sold commercially by 3M under brand names such as Novec 1230, Novec 649, and FK-5-1-12. It is also known as “waterless water” or “dry water”.

A coolant is a substance, typically liquid, that is used to reduce or regulate the temperature of a system. An ideal coolant has high thermal capacity, low viscosity, is low-cost, non-toxic, chemically inert and neither causes nor promotes corrosion of the cooling system. Some applications also require the coolant to be an electrical insulator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vapor-compression refrigeration</span> Refrigeration process

Vapour-compression refrigeration or vapor-compression refrigeration system (VCRS), in which the refrigerant undergoes phase changes, is one of the many refrigeration cycles and is the most widely used method for air conditioning of buildings and automobiles. It is also used in domestic and commercial refrigerators, large-scale warehouses for chilled or frozen storage of foods and meats, refrigerated trucks and railroad cars, and a host of other commercial and industrial services. Oil refineries, petrochemical and chemical processing plants, and natural gas processing plants are among the many types of industrial plants that often utilize large vapor-compression refrigeration systems. Cascade refrigeration systems may also be implemented using two compressors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perfluorohexane</span> Chemical compound

Perfluorohexane, or tetradecafluorohexane, is a fluorocarbon. It is a derivative of hexane in which all the hydrogen atoms are replaced by fluorine atoms. It is used in one formulation of the electronic cooling liquid/insulator Fluorinert for low-temperature applications due to its low boiling point of 56 °C and freezing point of −90 °C. It is odorless and colorless. Unlike typical hydrocarbons, the structure features a helical carbon backbone. In medical imaging it is used as a contrast agent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FC-75</span> Chemical compound

FC-75 is a fluorocarbon derivative of tetrahydrofuran with the chemical formula C8F16O. It is practically insoluble in water.

Natural refrigerants are considered substances that serve as refrigerants in refrigeration systems. They are alternatives to synthetic refrigerants such as chlorofluorocarbon (CFC), hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) based refrigerants. Unlike other refrigerants, natural refrigerants can be found in nature and are commercially available thanks to physical industrial processes like fractional distillation, chemical reactions such as Haber process and spin-off gases. The most prominent of these include various natural hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, ammonia, and water. Natural refrigerants are preferred actually in new equipment to their synthetic counterparts for their presumption of higher degrees of sustainability. With the current technologies available, almost 75 percent of the refrigeration and air conditioning sector has the potential to be converted to natural refrigerants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perfluorinated compound</span> Type of organic chemical

A perfluorinated compound (PFC) or perfluoro compound is an organofluorine compound that lacks C-H bonds. Many perfluorinated compounds have properties that are quite different from their C-H containing analogues. Common functional groups in PFCs are OH, CO2H, chlorine, O, and SO3H. Electrofluorination is the predominant method for PFC production. Due to their chemical stability, some of these perfluorinated compounds bioaccumulate.

Hydrofluoroethers (HFE) are a class of organic solvents. As non-ozone-depleting chemicals, they were developed originally as a replacement for CFCs, HFCs, HCFCs, and PFCs. They are typically colorless, odorless, tasteless, low toxicity, low viscosity, and liquid at room temperature. The boiling point of HFEs vary from 50 °C to nearly 100 °C. Although 3M first developed HFEs, other manufacturers have begun producing them.

A liquid dielectric is a dielectric material in liquid state. Its main purpose is to prevent or rapidly quench electric discharges. Dielectric liquids are used as electrical insulators in high voltage applications, e.g. transformers, capacitors, high voltage cables, and switchgear. Its function is to provide electrical insulation, suppress corona and arcing, and to serve as a coolant.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hydrofluoroolefin</span> Class of chemical compounds

Hydrofluoroolefins (HFOs) are unsaturated organic compounds composed of hydrogen, fluorine and carbon. These organofluorine compounds are of interest as refrigerants. Unlike traditional hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are saturated, HFOs are olefins, otherwise known as alkenes.

<i>trans</i>-1,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene Chemical compound

trans-1,3,3,3-Tetrafluoropropene (HFO-1234ze(E), R-1234ze(E)) is a hydrofluoroolefin. It was developed as a "fourth generation" refrigerant to replace fluids such as R-134a, as a blowing agent for foam and aerosol applications, and in air horns and gas dusters. The use of R-134a is being phased out because of its high global warming potential (GWP). HFO-1234ze(E) itself has zero ozone-depletion potential (ODP=0), a very low global warming potential (GWP < 1 ), even lower than CO2, and it is classified by ANSI/ASHRAE as class A2L refrigerant (lower flammability and lower toxicity).

Fluorinated gases (F-gases) are a group of gases containing fluorine. They are divided into several types, the main of those are hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), perfluorocarbons (PFCs), sulphur hexafluoride (SF6). They are used in refrigeration, air conditioning, heat pumps, fire suppression, electronics, aerospace, magnesium industry, foam and high voltage switchgear. As they are greenhouse gases with a strong global warming potential, their use is regulated.

In fluid thermodynamics, a heat transfer fluid is a gas or liquid that takes part in heat transfer by serving as an intermediary in cooling on one side of a process, transporting and storing thermal energy, and heating on another side of a process. Heat transfer fluids are used in countless applications and industrial processes requiring heating or cooling, typically in a closed circuit and in continuous cycles. Cooling water, for instance, cools an engine, while heating water in a hydronic heating system heats the radiator in a room.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perfluorotributylamine</span> Chemical compound

Perfluorotributylamine (PFTBA), also referred to as FC43, is an organic compound with the chemical formula N(CF2CF2CF2CF3)3. It is a colorless liquid. A molecule of this chemical compound consists of three butyl groups connected to one nitrogen atom, in which all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced with fluorine atoms. The compound is produced for the electronics industry, along with other perfluoroalkylamines. The high degree of fluorination significantly reduces the basicity of the central amine due to electron-withdrawing effects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immersion cooling</span> IT cooling practice

Immersion cooling is an IT cooling practice by which complete servers are immersed in a dielectric, electrically non-conductive fluid that has significantly higher thermal conductivity than air. Heat is removed from a system by putting the coolant in direct contact with hot components, and circulating the heated liquid through heat exchangers. This practice is highly effective because liquid coolants can absorb more heat from the system, and are more easily circulated through the system, than air. Immersion cooling has many benefits, including but not limited to: sustainability, performance, reliability and cost.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C4-FN</span> New gas and mixture of gases for high voltage switchgear

C4-FN (C4-fluoronitrile, C4FN) is a perfluorinated compound developed as a high-dielectric gas for high-voltage switchgear. It has the structure (CF3)2CFC≡N, which can be described as perfluoroisobutyronitrile, falling under the category of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

References

  1. 1 2 Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Air and Radiation. "Report EPA-430-R-06-90: Uses and Emissions of Liquid PFC Heat Transfer Fluids from the Electronics Sector" (PDF). WWW.EPA.GOV. p. 3. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2018-02-03.
  2. "3M Manufacturing and Industry: 3M Fluorinert Electronic Liquids". Archived from the original on 2010-03-28. Retrieved 2006-01-10.
  3. "Material safety data sheet FC-40 fluorinert brand electronic liquid 03/25/09". Archived from the original on 2009-08-21. Retrieved 2009-05-19. 090519 multimedia.3m.com
  4. "Fluorinert FC70 Product Information" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-07-07. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  5. Kwan, J. Kelly, R, Miller G. Presentation at the American Industrial Hygiene Conference, Salt Lake City, UT, May 1991
  6. Aljean Harmetz (August 6, 1989). "FILM; 'The Abyss': A Foray Into Deep Waters". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2022-01-25.
  7. "3M Novec fluids as alternative to perfluorocarbons for detector cooling at CERN" (PDF). CERN. Archived (PDF) from the original on January 19, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  8. "3M Novec 649 as a replacement of C6F14 in liquid cooling systems" (PDF). CERN. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 10, 2021. Retrieved April 8, 2021.