Answer
Nov 13, 2019 - 06:31 AM
For a comparison of ElectroCool and 3M's Fluorinert please see: https://www.engineeredfluids.com/slic...
For a full article on the impacts of PFAs please see: https://cen.acs.org/environment/persi...
For the full US Gov't's Environmental Impact Report on PFAs and specifically 3M's Novec and Fluorinert please see: https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2016-02/documents/pfc_heat_tranfer_f
luid_emission.pdf
Environmental Impacts of PFAs such as Novec, Fluorinert and Galden:
PFAS, or Poly-Fluorinated Alkyl Substances.are general class of chemicals and intermediate materials used to make non-flammable dielectric fluids like Solvay Corporation's Galden® fluids as well as 3M's Novec® and Fluorinert® fluids. All of these chemicals are classified as PFAS.
As with PCB compounds, fluorinated compounds do not break down easily in the environment, and can persist for hundreds of years. As with PCBs, PFAs are contaminating water sources and are accumulating in the environment. And, like PCBs, PFAs are linked to a host of endocrine and metabolic problems in humans. According to European scientists, these are the affects of PFAs on the human body:
Current and Upcoming Regulation
Environmental scientists are sounding the alarm on these fluorinated chemicals. The Union of Concerned Scientists have called upon US regulators to "regulate and clean up this toxic threat" (3) In 2015 and again in 2018, hundreds of scientists wrote Open Letters advising lawmakers to recognize the threat posed by PFAs accumulation (4). And this attention is having the desired effect - US Lawmakers have introduced legislation calling for the phase-out of PFAs and the use of safer alternatives in popular applications such as fire-fighting and electrical insulation. https://cen.acs.org/environment/persistent-pollutants/PFAS-targeted-US-regulati
on-House/97/i29
Weight: The weight of 3M's Novec fluoridated fluids is significantly higher than ElectroCool or AmpCool (1.6 g/cc Novec vs 0.80 g/cc for AmpCool). Novec's additional mass/weight is a huge disadvantage in aeronautical or electric vehicle applications, where the added weight effectively reduces the power and range, as well as greatly influencing weight and balance.
Toxicity: ElectroCool and AmpCool Dielectric Coolants are biodegradable, non-toxic and classified as Food Grade by the US National Science Foundation. All of our Dielectric Coolants have very low vapor pressures so there is no vapor generated during operation and no evaporation, making them well suited for open and sealed system operations. Both AmpCool and ElectroCool have a “0” Global Warming Potential. Compare this with the toxicity of halogenated solvents, like Novec. Novec fluid and its vapors are toxic, non-biodegradable and has a high Global Warming Potential between 5000 to over 9,000 depending on which Novec product is measured.
Cost: The cost of ElectroCool or AmpCool is <15% of the cost of 3M's Novec Fluids. Be sure to keep the lid on your Novec or you'll be losing 1,000's dollars an hour in evaporation.
What happens the device is overheated? If there is a thermal runaway or over-temperature event with a semiconductor or battery, a two-phase fluid or a low boiling point fluid as Novec will vaporize and either boil away or create a high pressure situation which the system which must then be vented to prevent explosion. When this happens, then the device is left fully unprotected, as all of the coolant has boiled away. ElectroCool and AmpCool o not boil, and in an over-temperature situation, our Dielectric Fluids will continue to absorb heat and protect the other cells of the battery.
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