| HS Code | 204829 |
| Product Name | Alcohol Coolant |
| Chemical Family | Alcohol-based heat transfer fluid |
| Main Component | Ethanol or methanol (typically denatured) |
| Appearance | Clear liquid, often dyed blue or green |
| Odor | Characteristic alcoholic, sweet or pungent odor |
| Boiling Point | 78.4°C (for ethanol) / 64.7°C (for methanol) at 1 atm |
| Freezing Point | -114°C (ethanol) / -98°C (methanol) pure basis |
| Flash Point | Approximately 13°C (ethanol) / 11°C (methanol) closed cup |
| Autoignition Temperature | 363°C (ethanol) / 464°C (methanol) |
| Density | Approximately 0.79 g/cm³ at 20°C |
| Solubility In Water | Fully miscible in all proportions |
| Ph | Typically 7.0 to 9.0 when formulated with corrosion inhibitors |
| Viscosity | Approximately 1.1 to 2.0 cP at 20°C |
| Thermal Conductivity | Approximately 0.17 to 0.21 W/m·K at 20°C |
| Evaporation Rate | High relative to water |
| Specific Heat Capacity | Approximately 2.4 to 2.6 J/g·K at 20°C |
| Refractive Index | Approximately 1.36 to 1.38 at 20°C |
| Electrical Conductivity | Low to very low (non-conductive when pure) |
| Common Additives | Corrosion inhibitors, dyes, bitterants, anti-foaming agents |
| Primary Application | Engine cooling, antifreeze, and low-temperature heat transfer systems |
As an accredited Alcohol Coolant factory, we enforce strict quality protocols—every batch undergoes rigorous testing to ensure consistent efficacy and safety standards.
| Packing | Alcohol Coolant packaged in 5-liter HDPE jerrycan with child-resistant cap, labeled with hazard warnings and usage instructions. |
| Container Loading (20′ FCL) | 20′ FCL: alcohol coolant packed in sealed drums on pallets, upright, lashed, labeled, ventilated, segregated from oxidizers and ignition sources. |
| Shipping | Alcohol Coolant is shipped as a flammable liquid (Class 3), typically under UN1987 or related alcohol-based entries. It must be packaged in approved, leak-proof containers with hazard labels, proper documentation, and segregation from oxidizing materials. Transport requires compliance with ADR, IATA, or IMDG regulations to ensure safe handling. |
| Storage | Store Alcohol Coolant in tightly sealed, clearly labeled containers in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. Keep away from ignition sources, open flames, and incompatible materials like strong oxidizers. Use grounded containers and secondary spill containment to prevent leaks. Avoid direct sunlight and extreme heat. Inspect containers regularly for damage or corrosion. |
| Shelf Life | Shelf life is typically 2–3 years when stored sealed, cool, and away from sunlight. |
When a light-duty automotive coolant concentrate is blended for OEM first-fill and Asia-Pacific aftermarket distribution, the Alcohol Coolant base stock is received in bulk ISO tank or flexitank and held in nitrogen-blanketed stainless steel day tanks at 0.2–0.5 bar overpressure to exclude moisture ingress. Compliance for the finished coolant is tested against ASTM D3306-20 for light-duty service, with glassware corrosion mass loss evaluated by ASTM D1384-18 and cast aluminum heat-rejecting surface attack by ASTM D4340-19. The formulation addition ratio is set at 52–56 wt% Alcohol Coolant for ethylene glycol-based ready-to-use 50 vol% coolant, while the same freeze-point target requires 46–50 wt% for propylene glycol-based material; concentrate lines are filled at 88–92 wt% Alcohol Coolant after reserving 8–12 wt% for the corrosion inhibitor package. Downstream production proceeds through a closed-loop automated blending skid: deionized water with conductivity below 10 µS/cm is charged first, Alcohol Coolant is metered by mass flow at 40–50°C, the inhibitor premix is injected through a high-shear mixer at 1,500–2,500 rpm, and the batch is polished through 5 µm polypropylene filters before filling into 1 L, 4 L, and 208 L containers. Terminal product types include pre-mixed 50/50 ready-to-use coolant, OEM first-fill concentrate, and private-label aftermarket antifreeze. Final dilution water with total hardness above 200 mg/L as CaCO3 is excluded because calcium scale reduces heat transfer coefficient and shifts ASTM D4340-19 corrosion mass loss from compliant values into non-compliant territory.
Wet-sleeve cylinder liners in modern heavy-duty diesel engines operate at high combustion pressure, and liner vibration transfers energy to the coolant film; the Alcohol Coolant fraction changes vapour pressure, surface tension, and bubble collapse intensity, making it a formulation variable rather than a simple freeze-point adjustment. Compliant pre-charged heavy-duty coolant is specified under ASTM D6210-20, with multi-metal corrosion coupons run to ASTM D1384-18, aluminum protection to ASTM D4340-19, and ultrasonic cavitation damage screened by ASTM D7583-20. The addition ratio for Alcohol Coolant in heavy-duty pre-diluted product is maintained between 40 vol% and 60 vol%, with 50 vol% as the standard reference point; below 40 vol% the coolant vapour pressure margin narrows and wet-sleeve liner pitting accelerates under peak torque, while above 60 vol% nitrite and molybdate inhibitor solubility decreases in storage at −20°C, producing sediment that can block coolant filters and injector sleeves. Production-scale blending uses a two-stage sequence: the inhibitor premix containing nitrite, molybdate, nitrate, and tolyltriazole is dissolved in deionized water at 45–50°C, then Alcohol Coolant is added under low-shear agitation at 150–250 rpm; adding inhibitors directly to undiluted Alcohol Coolant has been observed in batch records to cause nitrite precipitation within 6 h when water content is below 5 wt%. The finished batch is filtered through 3 µm absolute-rated bag filters and filled into 20 L pails, 208 L drums, and 1,000 L bulk intermediate containers. Terminal product types include heavy-duty pre-charged coolants requiring no supplementary coolant additive, extended-life coolants for mixed fleets, and concentrates intended for 40/60 or 50/50 dilution on-site. The formulation should not be combined with amine-based supplemental additives because nitrite depletion and inhibitor antagonism have been recorded in mixed-fleet service; phosphate-based inhibitors above 800 mg/L in hard water are likewise excluded due to calcium phosphate scale formation on exhaust gas recirculation cooler plates.
| Alcohol Coolant fraction (vol%) | Freeze point (°C) by ASTM D1177-19 | Boiling point (°C) by ASTM D1120-18 | Cavitation and inhibitor status by ASTM D7583-20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | −24 | 106 | Pass with nitrite reserve maintained above 1,200 mg/L |
| 50 | −37 | 108 | Pass at 1,200–2,400 mg/L nitrite |
| 60 | −51 | 110 | Pass only after solubility screening for molybdate/nitrate inhibitor package |
Secondary cooling loops in poultry slaughter, dairy pasteurization, and ready-meal tunnel freezers use Alcohol Coolant as the freeze-depressant component in food-compatible propylene glycol heat transfer fluids, subject to contamination limits that do not appear in automotive service. The Alcohol Coolant is specified as propylene glycol meeting FDA 21 CFR 184.1666; the finished inhibited fluid is registered under NSF/ANSI 51 for incidental food contact, and corrosion testing follows ASTM D1384-18 for copper, brass, stainless steel, and carbon steel coupons. Addition ratio is 30–40 vol% Alcohol Coolant in water, providing freeze protection from −10°C to −20°C; lower additions below 20 vol% are avoided because microbial growth in open condenser water separators increases biological oxygen demand and causes slime fouling on plate exchangers. Downstream production uses dedicated stainless steel mixing tanks cleaned with 0.5 N sodium hydroxide solution at 65°C before each batch; reverse-osmosis water is added first, then Alcohol Coolant, then a food-grade corrosion inhibitor package; the fluid is circulated through a 1 µm filter and packaged into 25 L drums, 200 L drums, or bulk road tankers. Terminal product types include inhibited propylene glycol heat transfer fluid for ice bank systems, food tunnel freezers, and dual-circuit plate heat exchangers in dairy HTST pasteurization. Ethylene glycol-based Alcohol Coolant is excluded from this segment because of toxicity limits; propylene glycol concentrations above 50 vol% are also not recommended because low-temperature viscosity at −10°C exceeds the pump envelope of low-shear centrifugal recirculation systems.
Within data center liquid cooling distribution units, Alcohol Coolant circulates in the facility-side secondary loop, not as a direct immersion dielectric; the product must balance freeze protection, electrical conductivity, and pressure drop across microchannel cold plates. The specification framework is set by ASHRAE TC 9.9 Thermal Guidelines for Data Processing Environments, with make-up water quality fixed at ASTM D1193-18 Type IV and corrosion protection verified by ASTM D1384-18 for copper, brass, and stainless steel. Alcohol Coolant is added at 20–30 vol% propylene glycol; higher fractions above 30 vol% increase viscosity and reduce heat transfer coefficient, producing a measurable pump energy penalty per rack above 10% compared with deionized water. The production process begins with reverse-osmosis permeate polished through mixed-bed ion exchange to <2 µS/cm, followed by continuous injection of Alcohol Coolant and a non-ionic azole inhibitor at 10–25 mg/L; the batch is filtered through 0.5 µm filters, degassed by membrane contactor to dissolved oxygen below 0.1 mg/L, and filled into 20 L or 1,000 L totes with sealed nitrogen blanketing. Terminal product types include low-conductivity inhibited glycol solution for direct-to-chip cold plates, rear-door heat exchangers, and row-based CDU loops. Operational boundaries exclude silicate, phosphate, and borate inhibitor packages; silicate gels on cold plate fin arrays at return temperatures above 60°C, while phosphate buffers raise electrical conductivity above the 10 µS/cm alarm threshold.
For ground-source heat pump loops in North America and Scandinavia, denatured ethanol-based Alcohol Coolant is metered into high-density polyethylene pipe fields at 15–25 vol% to deliver freeze protection to −10°C while remaining below flammable liquid classification thresholds in mechanical rooms. Compliance is anchored to ANSI/CSA C448 Series-16 for design and installation of ground-source heat pump systems, with corrosion compatibility screened by ASTM D1384-18 on copper, brass, and steel; high-density polyethylene compatibility is controlled by pipe manufacturer hydrostatic data. Formulation addition ratio is set by local frost depth and minimum entering fluid temperature; 20 vol% ethanol-based Alcohol Coolant is common for closed loops with minimum entering fluid temperature of −5°C. Downstream production uses inline metering of denatured ethanol into deionized water, followed by non-phosphorus carboxylate inhibitor injection and 1 µm filtration before filling into 20 L HDPE drums or bulk tanker delivery. Terminal product type is a pre-mixed geothermal loop heat transfer fluid. Site boundaries include oxygen ingress limits: open-loop purge tanks and unsealed expansion chambers raise dissolved oxygen above 1 mg/L and accelerate iron oxide fouling; methanol is excluded from residential loops because of groundwater contamination risk, and ethanol fractions above 25 vol% trigger additional fire-safety ventilation in building codes.
Alcohol coolant formulated with propylene glycol meeting Ph. Eur. 10.0 monograph 03/2022:0617 is used as the secondary refrigerant in pharmaceutical lyophilizer cooling skids, where the shelf heat-transfer fluid is separated by a plate exchanger and the Alcohol Coolant loop rejects heat to a chiller plant. Compliance is governed by 21 CFR Part 211 changeover documentation and ASTM D1193-18 Type IV make-up water quality, not by automotive coolant standards. The addition ratio in the secondary loop is 40–50 vol% Alcohol Coolant, maintaining freeze protection to −25°C and allowing the circulating pump to operate within its viscosity envelope at −10°C; below 40 vol% ice crystals can form in the return line during shelf cool-down to −45°C, while above 50 vol% pressure drop across plate-and-frame exchangers rises beyond the limit of the existing 1.5 kW circulation pumps. Production of this fluid occurs in a dedicated cleanroom stainless steel blend vessel with nitrogen overlay, addition of a non-toxic organic acid inhibitor package suitable for pharmaceutical incidental contact, 0.2 µm sterilizing-grade filtration, and filling into 20 L HDPE containers rinsed with deionized water to leachable conductivity below 1 µS/cm. Terminal product type is an inhibited propylene glycol secondary refrigerant for lyophilizer cooling loops and pharmaceutical process chillers. Published data for long-term oxidation stability of this specific inhibitor package at process temperatures below −30°C is limited; routine total acid number monitoring and pH drift control within 0.3 units per 1,000 h are therefore specified.
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Alcohol Coolant ALC-M40 is a methanol/water heat transfer fluid supplied as a ready-to-use 40 vol% methanol solution and as a concentrate for dilution with deionized water. The ALC-M40 model designation identifies a 40 vol% methanol base fluid with a silicate-free inorganic inhibitor package containing borate and molybdate; a companion ALC-M40A variant is formulated without silicate for systems containing aluminum plate heat exchangers. The product is intended for closed-loop chillers, engine test-cell heat rejection, cold storage evaporator circuits, and laboratory thermal test stands. It is not a glycol-based automotive antifreeze and is outside the scope of ASTM D3306; it is evaluated instead by ASTM D1177 for freezing point, ASTM D1122 for density, ASTM D1287 for pH, and ASTM D1384 for corrosion. Published data for specific original-equipment approvals is limited; the product is supplied with a batch certificate referencing these test methods. Representative specification limits appear in Table 1.
| Property | Method | Specified range |
|---|---|---|
| Methanol content | Gas chromatography | 38–42 vol% |
| Density at 20 °C | ASTM D1122 | 0.935–0.950 g/cm³ |
| Freeze point | ASTM D1177 | −35 °C to −40 °C |
| Kinematic viscosity at 20 °C | ASTM D445 | 1.4–1.8 mm²/s |
| pH at 25 °C | ASTM D1287 | 7.5–8.5 |
| Closed-cup flash point | ASTM D93, Procedure A | 24–30 °C |
| Initial boiling point | ASTM D86 | 76–80 °C at 101.3 kPa |
| Chloride ion | Ion chromatography | <25 mg/L |
| Reserve alkalinity | Titration | 4.0–6.0 mL 0.1 N HCl |
Closed-loop process chillers operating with set points between −35 °C and −5 °C impose a direct boundary condition on heat transfer fluid viscosity because the coolant-side film coefficient commonly controls the overall heat transfer coefficient in plate-and-frame exchangers. In 12.7 mm internal diameter stainless steel tubing at a circulation velocity of 1.5 m/s and −20 °C, ALC-M40 exhibits a Reynolds number of approximately 8,000; a 50 vol% propylene glycol/water fluid under the same conditions is typically below 250. The lower kinematic viscosity of 2.2 mm²/s at −20 °C by ASTM D445 reduces pump power demand and permits smaller supply headers in multi-circuit evaporator coils. This advantage is not linear: below −35 °C the 40 vol% alcohol blend approaches its freeze point, and ice-slurry formation in low-flow branch circuits has been observed in 15 mm copper return lines at velocities below 0.3 m/s. Centrifugal circulation pumps should be selected with methanol-resistant mechanical seals and a net positive suction head margin greater than 0.6 m because the alcohol blend has higher vapour pressure than glycol-based fluids. Published data for specific plate-and-frame configurations is limited, so pressure drop and heat transfer derating should be verified by field measurement rather than extrapolated from glycol curves.
In storage areas where ALC-M40 is received in 200 L steel drums or 1,000 L intermediate bulk containers, the principal operational boundary is flammability, not corrosion. Methanol is classified under GHS as H225, H301, H311, H331, and H370; the 40 vol% aqueous blend retains a closed-cup flash point of 24–30 °C when tested by ASTM D93 and must be stored in NFPA 30 compliant cabinets or detached flammable-liquid rooms. Transfer equipment should be grounded and bonded; drum pumps should be explosion-proof. Ventilation should maintain methanol vapour concentration below the OSHA 8-hour permissible exposure limit of 200 ppm and below 10 % of the lower explosive limit of 6.0 vol% for methanol. Unlike glycol-based coolants, ALC-M40 must not remain in open capture basins or be exposed to hot work. The same flammability boundary excludes its use in open-tank thermal baths where the bath surface is unventilated.
Aqueous methanol environments are not intrinsically compatible with aluminum because methanol oxidation can generate formic acid and acidic decomposition products at hot surfaces; the inhibitor package in ALC-M40 is therefore formulated with borate and molybdate at 0.5–1.0 wt% total solids. Protection is validated by ASTM D1384 glassware corrosion testing with copper, solder, brass, steel, cast iron, and cast aluminum coupons at 88 °C for 336 h; acceptance is based on mass-loss limits of 10 mg for copper, brass, steel, and cast iron, 30 mg for solder, and 30 mg for cast aluminum as referenced in ASTM D3306. Heat-rejection corrosion of aluminum is evaluated separately by ASTM D4340 at 135 °C, with a maximum mass loss of 1.0 mg/cm²·week. ALC-M40 is not recommended for galvanized steel, zinc, magnesium, or aluminum alloys containing more than 5 % zinc unless a full compatibility test is run; published data for zinc-rich systems is limited. Make-up water should not introduce chloride ion above 25 mg/L, and circulating fluid should be maintained above 25 vol% alcohol to avoid loss of freeze-point margin. Do not combine ALC-M40 with glycol-based coolants or amine-based corrosion inhibitors because inhibitor antagonism can reduce protection and may generate suspended solids that score mechanical pump seals.
In a 10,000 L stainless steel blend tank with a side-entry agitator, ALC-M40 is mixed by adding methanol to deionized water under nitrogen blanketing at 20–30 °C; the inhibitor pre-blend is injected downstream of a 10 µm cartridge filter to prevent undissolved borate from reaching the filling line. Batch-to-batch variance of pH remains within 0.3 units when the filter differential pressure is held below 0.07 MPa. On a rotary filling machine handling 20 L high-density polyethylene drums, the product is filtered to 10 µm and the fill head is electrically grounded. These controls address the most common production bottleneck observed with alcohol coolants: inhibitor precipitation when ambient temperature falls below 5 °C, which can cause pump cavitation at the transfer stage. Warehousing below −5 °C is not recommended because phase separation of inhibitor salts may require re-dissolution at 15–20 °C before use.
The measurable difference between ALC-M40 and glycol-based coolants appears at the circulation pump before any heat exchanger is installed. Kinematic viscosity at −20 °C is approximately 2.2 mm²/s for ALC-M40, compared with 25 mm²/s for 50 vol% ethylene glycol/water and 80 mm²/s for 50 vol% propylene glycol/water when measured by ASTM D445. This difference orders equipment differently: a 1.5 kW stainless steel gear pump can circulate ALC-M40 through 30 m of 15 mm internal diameter stainless steel line at 1.2 m/s with a pressure drop below 40 kPa, while the same circuit with 50 vol% propylene glycol/water at −20 °C may require 2.5–3.0 times the motor load. Freeze-point depression is controlled by alcohol concentration; a 40 vol% methanol dilution gives −40 °C, and a 50 vol% dilution can be specified for −50 °C service. Above 60 vol% methanol, volumetric heat capacity declines sufficiently to offset the viscosity benefit, and the closed-cup flash point falls toward the methanol value of 11 °C. Dilution should be made with deionized water of conductivity ≤ 10 µS/cm by ASTM D1125, not softened water, to avoid chloride accumulation. Comparative data are provided in Table 2.
| Property | ALC-M40 40 vol% methanol/water | Ethylene glycol/water 50 vol% | Propylene glycol/water 50 vol% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinematic viscosity at −20 °C | 2.2 mm²/s by ASTM D445 | 25 mm²/s | 80 mm²/s |
| Density at 20 °C | 0.940 g/cm³ by ASTM D1122 | 1.075 g/cm³ | 1.040 g/cm³ |
| Freeze point | −40 °C by ASTM D1177 | −37 °C | −32 °C |
| Closed-cup flash point | 24–30 °C by ASTM D93 | 111–116 °C | 104–110 °C |
| Inhibitor chemistry | Borate/molybdate, silicate-free | OAT/silicate hybrid | Phosphate-free organic acid |
In engine test-cell coolant conditioning loops, ALC-M40 is circulated through a water-cooled plate-and-frame heat exchanger that rejects heat from eddy-current dynamometers and exhaust-gas heat exchangers. Unlike glycol-based coolants, the methanol blend does not require a high-temperature pump stage; a stainless steel centrifugal pump with a 3 kW motor and a stainless steel volute can maintain 1.5 m/s in 25 mm nominal bore piping at a system pressure of 0.3 MPa. The primary limitation is continuous alcohol loss through threaded fittings; cork-gasketed flanges and carbon-steel threaded connections are replaced with polytetrafluoroethylene gaskets and stainless-steel compression fittings to keep vapour concentration in the test cell below 200 ppm. Batch-to-batch freezing point variation is monitored by in-line refractive index after every 500 h of operation.
Laboratory recirculators with polycarbonate reservoirs and silicone tubing are sometimes converted from propylene glycol to ALC-E40, the ethanol-based companion product, when viscosity at −10 °C must be reduced or when silicone-tube permeability is the dominant contaminant route. Ethanol-based ALC-E40 has a closed-cup flash point higher than methanol but lower than glycol; its 40 vol% dilution exhibits a freeze point near −30 °C, which limits its use to −20 °C set points. The product is not a direct drop-in replacement for propylene glycol because ethanol can stress-craze polycarbonate reservoirs and swells silicone tubing; fluoropolymer-lined tubing and stainless steel or glass reservoirs are required. In a 4 L recirculator with a 1 kW evaporator, the lower viscosity of ALC-E40 at −10 °C reduces the circulation motor current draw compared with propylene glycol, but alcohol evaporation through any unsealed fitting shifts bath concentration toward water over time. Closed-loop systems with expansion tanks should therefore be used, and the alcohol content should be checked weekly by refractive index or density. Unlike propylene glycol, ALC-E40 is not non-flammable; the same NFPA 30 storage boundaries apply, and the lower explosive limit of ethanol is 3.3 vol% in air.
