Perfluorocarbons - Direct Contact Cooling

The Flutec™ liquids are a range of fully saturated perfluorocarbons each containing only Carbon and Fluorine atoms. Unlike other types of fluoro-liquids Flutec fluids contain no Chlorine, Bromine, Nitrogen, Oxygen or Hydrogen atoms.

The materials are exceptionally stable, have a unique combination of properties and do not deplete the ozone layer. Flutec™ liquids are colourless, odourless, effectively non-toxic, non-corrosive and non-flammable. They have high thermal-stabilities, negligible chemical activity, leave virtually no residue on evaporation and are chemically compatible with most major materials of construction. They are non-polar and have low heats of vaporisation, very low surface tensions and low boiling points in relation to their relatively high molecular weights.

Direct Contact Cooling with Flutec™ Fluids

Perfluorocarbons, such as the Flutec fluids are electrically insulating, and so can be in direct contact with the chips producing the heat. They are also perfectly safe, being non-flammable and non-toxic, and are compatible with virtually all materials of construction. While a leak will result in a loss of cooling, it will not damage any of the components.

Compared to air, perfluorocarbons have a very high thermal bulk, and being in direct contact with the components producing heat provides a dramatic cooling effect. The perfluorocarbon can be circulated by a pump, and cooled by a radiator and fan, much like a car. Evaporative cooling is also an option, in which latent heat is removed rapidly when the liquid turns to gas.

The exceptional stability of Flutec also allows the direct cooling of lasers, where the light pulses pass directly through the thermally and chemically stable liquid (typically no absorbance in the UV down to about 250 nm and in the infra-red down to about 1350 cm^-1).