ideal? it isn't ideal for all processes.
it has advantages in some cases and disadvantages in others. it has good heat capacity, is non toxic (although it may be reactive in some cases), is readily available, is cheap, and can undergoe simple heat exchange with atmosphere (such as evaporative heat exchange). However, it does have scaling issues. Propylene glycol, another common coolant, prevents scaling, is non toxic, is more expensive and has slightly less heat capacity than water. Is better in some applications.
2007-03-14 03:31:42
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answer #1
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answered by Dr W 7
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Water has the ideal "tempreture range" for the cooling work it must perform. Most machines/industry etc. operate the best within the "water tempreture range". There is obviously other fluids with better/similar qualities (eg antifreeze aditive in engine coolant) but it all come down to price and availability.
Water is available everywhere, it does not cost an arm and a leg and it is a resourse that can be used over and over again. If it evaporate during the cooling process, it will rain somewhere else, hot water cool down and is used again, contaminated water can be purified again. All these processes is also inexpensive to achieve the desired result of having water as a cooling agent.
2007-03-14 03:35:04
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answer #2
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answered by Francois J V 2
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1) It has a high specific heat relative to other media.
2) It has a higher boiling point than a lot of other liquids.
3) Water is readily available, unless you're car overheats in the Mojave Desert on a very hot July afternoon.
For automotive cooling systems, the addition of anti-freeze/anti-boil does two things:
a) Increases the boiling point (decreases freezing temperature)
b) Decreases the specific heat - which isn't the best thing
Because of these two affects, anti-freeze does it's best when it's a 50% solution - a trade-off of specific heat to get a higher boiling point.
2007-03-14 05:58:09
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answer #3
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answered by Mick 3
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Water has a high specific heat. That's the amount of heat needed to raise the tempurature of an object by 1 degree Celsius. That's why on a hot day, water feels nice and cold.
2007-03-14 03:21:02
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answer #4
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answered by pastaloft87 1
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1) It's abundant and nearly free
2) It has a big specific heat value so it is able to absorb or give off lots of heat
3) It doesn't pollute the environment
4) There maybe other secondary reasons linked to the pressure ranges which we use inside heat exchangers so we are not building them too bulky respect to other fluids.
Water is an optimal compromise!
2007-03-14 03:15:23
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answer #5
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answered by Mr. X 2
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because it abosrbs the heat comming from the other substance or it show the endothermic property.
2007-03-14 03:13:55
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answer #6
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answered by rhonnel a 1
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It's cheap, available and non toxic.
2007-03-14 03:11:00
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answer #7
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answered by Gene 7
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