Cooling liquid composition for fuel cell

Abstract

A coolant composition for a fuel cell unit, which contains at least one aliphatic alcohol having unsaturated bonds in the molecules having 2 to 20 carbon atoms each. The coolant composition maintains the electrical conductivity of the coolant at 10 μS/cm or below as well as the fluctuation of the electrical conductivity within the range of 0 to 10 μS/cm.

1 . A coolant composition for a fuel cell unit, comprising 
 a fuel cell unit coolant comprising at least one aliphatic alcohol that comprises an unsaturated bond.    
   
   
       2 . The coolant composition according to  claim 1 , wherein a number of carbon atoms per molecule of said at least one aliphatic alcohol is 2 to 20.  
   
   
       3 . The coolant composition according to  claim 2 , wherein said at least one aliphatic alcohol is selected from the group consisting of allyl alcohol,2-butene-1-ol, 3-butene-1-ol, 1-butene-3-ol, 2-methyl-2-propene-1-ol, 4-pentene-1-ol, 1-pentene-3-ol, 2-pentene-1-ol, 2-methyl-3-butene-2-ol, 3-methyl-2-butene-1-ol, 3-methyl-3-butene-1-ol, 2-hexene-1-ol, 3-hexene-1-ol, 4-hexene-1-ol, 5-hexene-1-ol, 1-hexene-3-ol, 6-heptene-1-ol, 2-heptene-1-ol, 4-heptene-1-ol, 7-octene-1-ol, 2-octene-1-ol, 3-octene-1-ol, 5-octene-1-ol, 3-octene-2-ol, 1-octene-3-ol, 2-nonene-1-ol, 3-nonene-1-ol, 6-nonene-1-ol, 8-nonene-1-ol, 1-nonene-3-ol, 2-decene-1-ol, 4-decene-1-ol, 9-decene-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-6-octene-3-ol, 2-undecene-1-ol, 10-undecence-1-ol, 2-dodecene-1-ol, 2-propyne-1-ol, 2-butyne-1-ol, 1-butyne-3-ol, 3-butyne-1-ol, 1-pentyne-3-ol, 2-pentyne-1-ol, 3-pentyne-1-ol, 4-pentyne-1-ol, 4-pentyne-2-ol, 3-methyl-1-butyne-3-ol, 1-hexyne-3-ol, 3-hexyne-1-ol, 5-hexyne-3-ol, 2-hexyne-1-ol, 5-hexyne-1-ol, 3-methyl-1-pentyne-3-ol, 2-cyclohexene-1-ol, 2,4-hexadiene-1-ol, 1-heptyne-3-ol, 2-heptyne-1-ol, 3-heptyne-1-ol, 4-heptyne-2-ol, 5-heptyne-3-ol, 5-methyl-1-hexyne-3-ol, 3,4-dimethyl-1-pentyne-3-ol, 3-ethyl-1-pentyne-3-ol, 3,5-dimethyl-1-hexyne-3-ol, 3-octyne-1-ol, 1-octyne-3-ol, 2,7-octadienol, 3,6-dimethyl-1-heptyne-3-ol, 3-ethyl-1-heptyne-3-ol, 3-nonyne-1-ol, 2,6-nonadiene-1-ol, 3,6-nonadiene-1-ol, 1-cyclohexyl-2-butene-1-ol, 2-decyne-1-ol, 3-decyne-1-ol, 2,4-decadiene-1-ol, 4-ethyl-1-octyne-3-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadiene-1-ol, 10-undecyne-1-ol, 2,4-undecadiene-1-ol, 2,4-dodecadiene-1-ol, 3-methyl-1-pentene-4-yn-3-ol, 1-ethynyl-1-cyclohexanol, 2-butene-1,4-diol, 2-butyne-1,4-diol, 3-butene-1,2-diol, 2-methylene-1,3-propanediol, 7-octene-1,2-diol, 2,5-dimethyl-3-hexyne-2,5-diol, 3,6-dimethyl-4-octyne-3,6-diol, 3-pentene-2-ol, 4-pentene-2-ol, 2-methyl-3-butene-1-ol, 5-hexene-2-ol, 3-methyl-1-pentene-3-ol, 4-methyl-3-pentene-1-ol, 4-methyl-2-cyclohexene-1-ol, 5-decene-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-6-octene-3-ol, 1,4-pentadiene-3-ol, 1,5-hexadiene-3-ol, 1,6-heptadiene-4-ol, 2-methyl-3-hexyne-2-ol, 1-ethynyl-1-cyclopentanol, 10-undecyne-1-ol, 1,5-hexadiene-3,4-diol, 3,5-cyclohexadiene-1,2-diol, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       4 . The coolant composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the coolant further comprises a base component selected from the group consisting of water, glycols, saturated alcohols, glycol ethers, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       5 . The coolant composition according to  claim 1 , wherein the coolant comprises from 0.01 part by weight to 15 parts by weight of said at least one aliphatic alcohol relative to 100 parts by weight of a base component.  
   
   
       6 . The coolant composition according to  claim 1 , wherein said at least one aliphatic alcohol maintains electrical conductivity of the coolant at 10 μS/cm or below.  
   
   
       7 . The coolant composition of  claim 1 , wherein said at least one aliphatic alcohol maintains fluctuations in electrical conductivity of the coolant within the range from 0 μS/cm to 10 μS/cm.  
   
   
       8 . A method of cooling a fuel cell unit comprising a cooling system, the method comprising adding the composition of  claim 1  to a fuel cell cooling system.  
   
   
       9 . A method of making a fuel cell unit coolant composition comprising mixing a base component with at least one aliphatic alcohol comprising an unsaturated bond.  
   
   
       10 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the base component comprises water, glycol, saturated alcohol, glycol ether, or a combination thereof.  
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the coolant composition comprises from 0.01 part by weight to 15 parts by weight of the aliphatic alcohol relative to 100 parts by weight of the base component.  
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the aliphatic alcohol maintains the electrical conductivity of the coolant composition at 10 μS/cm or below.  
   
   
       13 . The method of  claim 9  wherein the aliphatic alcohol maintains fluctuations in electrical conductivity of the coolant composition within the range from 0 μS/cm to 10 μS/cm.  
   
   
       14 . A fuel cell unit comprising 
 a fuel cell coolant system configured to circulate coolant within a fuel cell stack to cool fuel cells in the stack, with the coolant comprising at least one aliphatic alcohol that comprises an unsaturated bond.    
   
   
       15 . The fuel cell unit of  claim 14  wherein a number of carbon atoms per molecule of said at least one aliphatic alcohol is 2 to 20.  
   
   
       16 . The fuel cell unit of  claim 14  wherein said at least one aliphatic alcohol is selected from the group consisting of allyl alcohol,2-butene-1-ol, 3-butene-1-ol, 1-butene-3-ol, 2-methyl-2-propene-1-ol, 4-pentene-1-ol, 1-pentene-3-ol, 2-pentene-1-ol, 2-methyl-3-butene-2-ol, 3-methyl-2-butene-1-ol, 3-methyl-3-butene-1-ol, 2-hexene-1-ol, 3-hexene-1-ol, 4-hexene-1-ol, 5-hexene-1-ol, 1-hexene-3-ol, 6-heptene-1-ol, 2-heptene-1-ol, 4-heptene-1-ol, 7-octene-1-ol, 2-octene-1-ol, 3-octene-1-ol, 5-octene-1-ol, 3-octene-2-ol, 1-octene-3-ol, 2-nonene-1-ol, 3-nonene-1-ol, 6-nonene-1-ol, 8-nonene-1-ol, 1-nonene-3-ol, 2-decene-1-ol, 4-decene-1-ol, 9-decene-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-6-octene-3-ol, 2-undecene-1-ol, 10-undecence-1-ol, 2-dodecene-1-ol, 2-propyne-1-ol, 2-butyne-1-ol, 1-butyne-3-ol, 3-butyne-1-ol, 1-pentyne-3-ol, 2-pentyne-1-ol, 3-pentyne-1-ol, 4-pentyne-1-ol, 4-pentyne-2-ol, 3-methyl-1-butyne-3-ol, 1-hexyne-3-ol, 3-hexyne-1-ol, 5-hexyne-3-ol, 2-hexyne-1-ol, 5-hexyne-1-ol, 3-methyl-1-pentyne-3-ol, 2-cyclohexene-1-ol, 2,4-hexadiene-1-ol, 1-heptyne-3-ol, 2-heptyne-1-ol, 3-heptyne-1-ol, 4-heptyne-2-ol, 5-heptyne-3-ol, 5-methyl-1-hexyne-3-ol, 3,4-dimethyl-1-pentyne-3-ol, 3-ethyl-1-pentyne-3-ol, 3,5-dimethyl-1-hexyne-3-ol, 3-octyne-1-ol, 1-octyne-3-ol, 2,7-octadienol, 3,6-dimethyl-1-heptyne-3-ol, 3-ethyl-1-heptyne-3-ol, 3-nonyne-1-ol, 2,6-nonadiene-1-ol, 3,6-nonadiene-1-ol, 1-cyclohexyl-2-butene-1-ol, 2-decyne-1-ol, 3-decyne-1-ol, 2,4-decadiene-1-ol, 4-ethyl-1-octyne-3-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadiene-1-ol, 10-undecyne-1-ol, 2,4-undecadiene-1-ol, 2,4-dodecadiene-1-ol, 3-methyl-1-pentene-4-yn-3-ol, 1-ethynyl-1-cyclohexanol, 2-butene-1,4-diol, 2-butyne-1,4-diol, 3-butene-1,2-diol, 2-methylene-1,3-propanediol, 7-octene-1,2-diol, 2,5-dimethyl-3-hexyne-2,5-diol, 3,6-dimethyl-4-octyne-3,6-diol, 3-pentene-2-ol, 4-pentene-2-ol, 2-methyl-3-butene-1-ol, 5-hexene-2-ol, 3-methyl-1-pentene-3-ol, 4-methyl-3-pentene-1-ol, 4-methyl-2-cyclohexene-1-ol, 5-decene-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-6-octene-3-ol, 1,4-pentadiene-3-ol, 1,5-hexadiene-3-ol, 1,6-heptadiene-4-ol, 2-methyl-3-hexyne-2-ol, 1-ethynyl-1-cyclopentanol, 10-undecyne-1-ol, 1,5-hexadiene-3,4-diol, 3,5-cyclohexadiene-1,2-diol, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       17 . The fuel cell unit of  claim 14  wherein the coolant further comprises a base component selected from the group consisting of water, glycols, saturated alcohols, glycol ethers, and combinations thereof.  
   
   
       18 . The fuel cell unit of  claim 14  wherein the coolant comprises from 0.01 part by weight to 15 parts by weight of said at least one aliphatic alcohol relative to 100 parts by weight of a base component.  
   
   
       19 . The fuel cell unit of  claim 14  wherein post oxidation electrical conductivity of the coolant is about 10 μS/cm or below.  
   
   
       20 . The fuel cell unit of  claim 14  wherein electrical conductivity fluctuations between initial conductivity of the coolant and post oxidation conductivity of the coolant range from 0 μS/cm to 10 μS/cm.