Hydrofluoroethers (HFE) are a class of organic
solvent
A solvent (s) (from the Latin '' solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas, or a supercritical fluid. Water is a solvent for ...
s. As non-ozone-depleting chemicals, they were developed originally as a replacement for
CFCs,
HFCs,
HCFCs
Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F), produced as volatile derivatives of methane, ethane, and propa ...
, 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.
Applications
Industrial uses are many and varied, including:
* Vapor de-greasing solvent
* Refrigerant and heat-transfer fluid
* Anhydrous fluid cleaner
They are sometimes applied as blends such as HFE 7100, which is a mixture of methyl nonafluorobutyl ether (
methoxyperfluorobutane) and methyl nonfluoroisobutyl ether.
3M produce Hydrofluoroether compounds under the name Novec 7000, 7100, 7200, 7300, 7500, and 7700 as liquid coolant for many applications including Full immersion cooling of computer electronics
Environmental Impact
Due to high
molecular weight
A molecule is a group of two or more atoms held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions which satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemistry, and bioch ...
s, HFEs remain in the
atmosphere for less than two weeks, being absorbed into the ground rather than remaining dissolved in the atmosphere. Although HFEs are
greenhouse gases, the EPA does not regulate their use due to the short atmospheric lifetimes and zero
ozone depletion potential
The ozone depletion potential (ODP) of a chemical compound is the relative amount of degradation to the ozone layer it can cause, with trichlorofluoromethane (R-11 or CFC-11) being fixed at an ODP of 1.0. Chlorodifluoromethane (R-22), for exampl ...
compared to alternative chemicals.
See also
*
Immersion cooling
*
Liquid dielectric 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, hi ...
*
Novec 649
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 it used as an electronics coolant liquid and fire protection fluid sold commercia ...
and 774
*
Fluorinert
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), so should be used wit ...
External links
Heat transfer applications using 3M Novec Engineered Fluids
References
{{Reflist
Coolants
Ethers
Liquid dielectrics
Organofluorides