3M™ Fluorinert™ Electronic Liquids

3M™ Fluorinert™ Fluorinated Liquid and 3M™ Novec™ for Heat Transfer and Thermal Management

Many modern manufacturing and technology practices require managing excess heat, or thermal management, with fluids such as 3M™ Fluorinert™ and 3M™ Novec™. For manufacturers of semiconductor wafers, controlling process temperatures is critical. For data centers, getting rid of excess heat through immersion cooling can dramatically lower operating costs. Fluorinert™ selection tables help engineers match fluid properties to specific chip-package requirements.

Many engineers value Fluorinert™ and similar dielectric fluids as versatile electronic fluorinated liquid platforms that support high-power thermal design, dielectric protection, and direct-contact cooling.

3M™ Fluorinert™ and 3M™ Novec™ fluids are dielectric and non-flammable, making them suitable for direct contact with live electronics where an electronic fluorinated liquid may be required for heat transfer, electrical insulation, and system reliability. These fluorinated liquids offer a low-maintenance, low-mess alternative to other coolant fluids such as water, water-glycol, or oils used for heat transfer. These 3M™ Fluorinert™ thermal management fluids work in many applications, from cold-plate cooling for semiconductors, to immersion cooling for data centers, to spray cooling for avionics, to reliability testing for electronics. Implementing redundancies with Fluorinert™ reservoirs can extend maintenance intervals in high-uptime facilities.

3M™ Fluorinert™ thermal management fluids deliver excellent cooling performance in a wide range of operating temperatures, without compromise on worker safety or environmental sustainability. 3M™ Fluorinert™ and 3M™ Novec™ provide a wide margin of worker safety. Use of the correct Fluorinert™ thermal management fluid improves reliability, addresses environmental concerns, and lowers overall operating costs. Overall system reliability can improve when a Fluorinert™ fluorinated liquid is paired with proper system design and real-time temperature monitoring.

Fluorinert™ vs. Novec™: What’s the Difference?

Best Technology is a U.S. nationwide authorized distributor of 3M™ Fluorinert™ engineered heat transfer fluids for thermal management. These fluids are sold under two brands:

• 3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids
• 3M™ Fluorinert™ Electronic Liquids

Though both are used for thermal management, the Fluorinert™ brand electronic liquid is distinct from the Novec™ brand because they use different chemistries. Novec™ fluids are based on hydrofluoroether chemistry, while Fluorinert™ electronic liquids are fully fluorinated compounds known as perfluorocarbons. This makes Fluorinert™ a type of electronic fluorinated liquid with distinct chemical properties, especially for applications that require chemical stability, dielectric strength, and thermal performance.

One of the main advantages of Fluorinert™ liquids is their exceptional dielectric strength, which supports direct-contact cooling of sensitive electronics. As an electronic fluorinated liquid, Fluorinert™ is chemically stable, nonflammable, and designed to leave no residue in critical thermal management applications.

From supercomputers and semiconductor equipment to aerospace and defense electronics, Fluorinert™ has long been used in applications where both heat transfer and electrical insulation are essential. Its role as an electronic fluorinated liquid makes it useful where dielectric performance, thermal stability, and material compatibility are important.

Fluorinert™ liquids continue to be used by engineers who require precision cooling and proven dielectric performance. Whether used in power electronics or high-performance computing systems, Fluorinert™ supports consistent temperature control in demanding electronic applications.

3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids for Thermal Management

• 3M™ Novec™ 649 Engineered Fluid
• 3M™ Novec™ 7000 Engineered Fluid
• 3M™ Novec™ 7100 Engineered Fluid
• 3M™ Novec™ 7200 Engineered Fluid
• 3M™ Novec™ 7300 Engineered Fluid
• 3M™ Novec™ 7500 Engineered Fluid

3M™ Fluorinert™ Electronic Liquids for Thermal Management

When choosing an electronic fluorinated liquid, engineers typically evaluate dielectric strength, boiling point, viscosity, material compatibility, and thermal stability. These properties determine whether the fluid is suitable for immersion cooling, semiconductor equipment, power electronics, or aerospace and defense thermal management systems.

• 3M™ Fluorinert™ FC-40 Electronic Liquid
• 3M™ Fluorinert™ FC-70 Electronic Liquid
• 3M™ Fluorinert™ FC-72 Electronic Liquid
• 3M™ Fluorinert™ FC-3283 Electronic Liquid

Originally used for direct-contact cooling because of their stability, Fluorinert™ Electronic Liquids helped enable the development of dense electronics such as supercomputers and power converters. In these applications, each electronic fluorinated liquid must provide dielectric performance, thermal stability, and compatibility with sensitive components. Fluorinert™ electronic liquids are premier heat-transfer fluids and have long been used as heat-transfer media for extreme-cooling applications. Fluorinert™ exceptionally high dielectric strength makes them ideal for sensitive applications. Fluorinert™ options cover boiling points from 56 °C to more than 200 °C, giving designers flexibility in single- or two-phase loops.

Fluorinert is also chosen for crash-safe battery packs because it eliminates fire risk while doubling dielectric margin.

Benefits of 3M™ Specialty Fluids for Thermal Management

Novec™ and Fluorinert™ liquids share many of the same advantages for thermal management. 3M™ Fluorinert™ and 3M™ Novec™ fluids require little maintenance and provide dependable performance. They have high resistivity, and the electronic liquid is designed not to damage electronic equipment or integrated circuits in the event of a leak or system failure. Selecting the right electronic fluorinated liquid, including the proper Fluorinert™ option, helps minimize pumping power in closed-loop chillers while maintaining stable heat transfer performance.

Both brands of 3M™ thermal-management fluids offer products with good pour-point properties that keep them from freezing at temperatures well below 0 °C. Novec™, however, has superior pour properties that extend beyond -130 °C for some products. Routine monitoring ensures the fluorinated liquid remains free of particulates that could impede heat transfer.

The chemical inertness and non-corrosive nature of both brands of 3M™ thermal-management fluids make them safe for workers to handle. However, Novec™ and Fluorinert™ electronic liquid differ when it comes to global-warming potential (GWP).

As shown in the chart, the 3M™ Fluorinert™ Electronic Liquid product line does not have low global warming potentials (GWP) and does have long atmospheric lifetimes. Because emission of materials like electronic liquid with these properties could impact the environment, users must carefully manage and minimize emissions by implementing recovery, recycling and/or proper disposal procedures. Use of Novec™ Engineered Fluids is a great alternative to Fluorinert™ Electronic Liquids for most applications and eliminates issues with GWP and long atmospheric life.

Properties of 3M™ Fluorinert™ and Novec™ Thermal Management Fluids

Not sure which 3M™ thermal management fluid will work with your application? Use the charts below as a guide to operating temperature ranges and boiling points for each 3M™ Fluorinert™ and 3M™ Novec™ product. Our applications engineers are also available to discuss unique temperature range requirements.

Data source: 3M

Operating Temperature Range and Boiling Point for 3M™ Novec™ and 3M™ Fluorinert™ Fluids

Here are the recommended operating temperature ranges for pumped, single-phase immersion cooling systems. For two-phase systems, the boiling point of the fluid should be close to the target temperature.

Please note that Novec™ 774 is not readily available through Best Technology at this time; however, Novec™ 7200 can be considered as the closest comparable alternative to Novec™ 774.

Comparison of Kinematic Viscosity vs. Temperature in 3M™ Novec™ Fluids

Here is a comparison of the relative kinematic viscosity vs. temperature among several 3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids. Kinematic viscosity is important for understanding fluid flow and resistance at a particular temperature.

Material Compatibility for Thermal Management

3M™ Fluorinert™ Electronic Liquids and 3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids are compatible with a wide array of materials used in heat transfer.

• Polymers – Most of the materials commonly considered “hard” plastics will perform well with both Novec™ fluids and Fluorinert™ liquids.
• Elastomers – Elastomers should be limited to those that are not heavily plasticized. 3M™ engineers can assist with testing specific compounds.

Users should note that Novec™ Engineered Fluids have slightly higher solvency compared to Fluorinert™ liquids. It is recommended to confirm materials compatibility for items that come in direct contact before use.

For more details on 3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids materials compatibility, check out the materials compatibility section of Solvent Cleaning with 3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids.

What is Immersion Cooling for IT and Data Center Equipment?

Immersion cooling is a process in which servers, computer components, and other IT hardware are immersed in non-conductive fluids such as 3M™ Novec™ Engineered Fluids. Heat generated by the electronic components is transferred to the 3M™ cooling liquid, reducing the need for active cooling components, such as interface materials, heat sinks and fans that are common in air cooling.

By using immersion cooling, data centers can improve energy efficiency and reduce size to keep up with the data demand. Liquid immersion cooling in data centers offers a unique opportunity to reduce cooling costs by 95% and reduce data center size by up to 10 times.

Other power electronics that benefit from 3M™ coolant liquids include power inverters, thyristors and variable-speed drives. For these applications, 3M™ thermal management fluids provide the precise control needed to efficiently and uniformly cool these devices.

Whether for single-phase or two-phase immersion cooling systems, 3M™ has a broad range of thermal management fluids available for high-performance computing applications.

Electronics Reliability Testing with 3M™ Fluorinert™

Immersion is not just for cooling of electronic components,  it’s also used in testing the reliability of electronics. With properties that include high thermal stability and dielectric strength, inertness and non-corrosiveness, Fluorinert™ Electronic Liquids are ideal for reliability testing. Components can be tested both physically (leak testing) and electrically while immersed in the liquid. Tested devices will dry quickly with no residue or post-test cleaning required. Properties such as high thermal stability, dielectric strength, inertness, and non-corrosiveness make this electronic fluorinated liquid useful for reliability testing of sensitive electronics.

Two tests that commonly use 3M™ Fluorinert™ liquids are Gross Leak tests and Thermal Shock tests. Both of these tests are part of the military standard MIL-STD-883, a standard that establishes controls and procedures for testing microelectronic devices for use within military and aerospace systems.

Gross Leak Testing with 3M™ Fluorinert™

Gross Leak Testing is a non-destructive test for leaks in hermetically sealed packages. In Gross Leak Testing, also called Gross Leak Seal Testing, electronic components in hermetically sealed packages are placed in a vacuum chamber, then a fluorocarbon fluid such as 3M™ Fluorinert™ Electronic Liquid is pumped in and immerses the package. Item passes the test if no bubbles are detected; hence another name for this test is “bubble test.”

Thermal Shock Testing with 3M™ Fluorinert™

Thermal Shock Testing tests the reliability of electronics that rapidly move between extreme temperatures like missiles. Electronic components are cycled rapidly between hot and cold baths of fluorocarbon fluid such as 3M™ Fluorinert™ Electronic Liquid. Afterward, visual examination and electrical testing are performed to detect failures.

Other Uses of 3M™ Thermal Management Fluids

Semiconductor manufacturing – Stability and consistency in temperature and performance in heat transfer are key for semiconductor manufacturing. 3M™ thermal management fluids are engineered to remain stable over time; plus they offer wider operating ranges than aqueous coolants like deionized (DI) water.

Military and aerospace – Mission-critical electronics for military and aviation require cooling with a top-performing fluorinated liquid to ensure reliability and minimal system disruption. 3M™ thermal management fluids meet the challenge with less mess than oil-type coolants, and are used in high-end avionic spray cooling systems.

Pharmaceutical and chemical processing – Secondary loop and freeze-drying processes used in the pharmaceutical and chemical industries can benefit from thermal management fluids. Unlike solvents and oils typically used, 3M™ Fluorinert™ and Novec™ fluids are non-flammable and have a high safety margin for workers.

3M™ Medical Device Policy

Note that 3M™ thermal management fluids are not intended, nor approved, for incorporation into pharmaceuticals, cosmetics or medical devices. 3M™ will not support such applications.

3M™ Novec™ and 3M™ Fluorinert™ Voluntary Phase Out

With the final order deadline for 3M™ Novec™ and 3M™ Fluorinert™ now behind us, product availability is rapidly declining. We continue to receive 3M™ Novec™ and 3M™ Fluorinert™ fluids when available and will advocate for fulfillment of outstanding orders. However, it is now critical to transition. We strongly recommend beginning validation and testing of BestSolv® replacement fluids to ensure uninterrupted operations.

Thermal Management Fluid Data Sheets

For Best Technology’s stocking information and data sheets, please see the 3M™ Fluids for Thermal Management stock chart.