Low-Temperature Coolant Surfactant for Insulating Fluidity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional water-containing lubricants and cutting oils lose fluidity and insulating properties at very low temperatures due to surfactant solidification, and fail to maintain separation of water and oil, leading to potential electrical conductivity issues.
Innovation Solution
A coolant composition comprising mineral or synthetic oil and a nonionic surfactant with a freezing point lower than −15°C, such as sucrose fatty acid ester or sorbitan derivatives, which maintains emulsification and insulating properties even in low temperatures by ensuring water and oil remain mixed.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a conventional surfactant is used in water-containing lubricant, then water can be dispersed in the oil, but the surfactant solidifies at very low temperatures causing loss of fluidity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the key parameter of the surfactant's freezing point by selecting specific nonionic surfactants (sucrose fatty acid ester or sorbitan fatty acid ester) with freezing points below -15°C. This parameter change ensures the surfactant remains liquid and maintains emulsification capability at very low temperatures while still providing stable water dispersion in the lubricant.
2Reliability
If water is mixed in the lubricant, then the lubricant becomes more flame-retardant, but water and oil separate causing electrical conductivity issues
Solution Approach 1:
The nonionic surfactant acts as an intermediary substance between water and oil, reducing interfacial tension and enabling stable emulsification. This prevents phase separation that would otherwise occur between immiscible water and oil, ensuring water remains dispersed and does not form conductive pathways while maintaining the flame-retardant properties of the water-containing lubricant.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The coolant composition maintains excellent insulating properties and fluidity at very low temperatures, preventing electrical conductivity and ensuring effective cooling performance in electrified vehicles.
Implementation Method 1
by adding the surfactant to the oil, the coolant composition according to the disclosure is uniformly emulsified even when water is mixed, such that water and the oil are not separated from each other
Implementation Method 2
by selecting a surfactant having a freezing point of lower than −15° C. as the surfactant, the fluidity can be maintained even in a very low temperature environment
Data Source
AI summary
A coolant composition includes a mineral oil or a synthetic oil and a surfactant, in which a conductivity of the coolant composition is lower than 0.1 μS/cm, and the surfactant is a nonionic surfactant that is a fatty acid ester having a freezing point of lower than −15° C. and having a cyclic structure.