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WaterWetter®
TECHNICAL
INFORMATION
Red Line
WaterWetter® is designed to provide improved metal wetting and excellent
corrosion inhibition when added to plain water or a glycol coolant. The most
poorly maintained system in an automobile is usually the cooling system.
Maintenance is quite simple and only required once each year, but most
vehicle owners never routinely change the coolant or replenish the corrosion
inhibitors which are required for trouble-free operation. Proper cooling
system maintenance is very critical for most modern engines which utilize
more aluminum. Aluminum has a very high corrosion potential, even higher
than zinc, which is very widely used as a sacrificial anode. The only
property which enables aluminum to be used in a cooling system is that it
will form protective films under the proper conditions which will prevent
the uncontrolled corrosive attack of acids or bases. Poor aluminum corrosion
inhibition will cause the dissolution of aluminum at the heat rejection
surfaces, weakening the cooling system walls and water pump casing and
weakening the head gasket mating surfaces. These corrosion products will
then form deposits on the lower temperature surfaces such as in radiator
tubes which have very poor heat transfer properties, causing a significant
reduction in the cooling ability of the entire system. Red Line WaterWetter®
will provide the proper corrosion inhibition for all cooling system metals,
including aluminum, cast iron, steel, copper, brass, and lead.
Water has
twice the heat transfer capability when compared to 50% glycol
antifreeze/coolant in water. Most passenger automobiles have a cooling
system designed to reject sufficient heat under normal operating conditions
using a 50/50 glycol solution in water. However, in racing applications, the
use of water and WaterWetter® will enable the use of smaller radiator
systems, which means less frontal drag, and it will also reduce cylinder
head temperatures, even when compared to water alone, which means more spark
advance may be used to improve engine torque.
BENEFIT SUMMARY
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Doubles
the wetting ability of water
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Improves
heat transfer
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Reduces
cylinder head temperatures
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May allow
more spark advance for increased torque
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Reduces
rust, corrosion and electrolysis of all metals
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Provides
long term corrosion protection
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Cleans and
lubricates water pump seals
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Prevents
foaming
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Reduces
cavitation corrosion
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Complexes
with hard water to reduce scale
COOLING
SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
The conventional spark ignition gasoline engine is not a very efficient
powerplant. A considerable amount of the available fuel energy must be
rejected from the metal combustion chamber parts by the coolant and
dispersed to the atmosphere through the radiator. This heat rejection is
necessary in order to prevent thermal
fatigue of the pistons, cylinder walls, and the cylinder head. Another
problem is that the combustion chamber must be cooled enough to prevent
preignition and detonation. The higher the combustion chamber temperatures,
the higher the octane number required to prevent preignition and detonation.
Since the octane of the available fuel is limited, increasing temperatures
in the combustion chamber require retarding the spark timing which reduces
the peak torque available. Higher inlet temperatures also reduce the density
of the fuel/air mixture, reducing available torque further. For these
reasons reducing the flow of heat to the coolant usually reduces the
efficiency of the engine. Figure 1 shows a typical heat balance diagram for
a spark ignition engine. This diagram demonstrates that the coolant in an
automobile engine must absorb and reject through the radiator 2 to 3 times
the amount of energy which is converted to brake power.
THERMAL
PROPERTIES
Water has amazingly superior heat transfer properties compared to
virtually any other liquid cooling medium - far superior to glycol-based
coolants. As shown in Table 1,
water has almost 2.5 times greater thermal conductivity compared to glycol
coolants. Mixtures of glycol and water have nearly proportional improvement
due to the addition of water. Most heat is transferred in a cooling system
by convection from hot metal to a cooler liquid as in the engine block or
from a hot liquid to cooler metal surfaces, as in the radiator. The
convection coefficient of liquids in a tube is a complicated relationship
between the thermal conductivity, viscosity of the liquid, and the tube
diameter which determines the amount of turbulent flow. Since 50/50 glycol
solution has about 4 times the viscosity and only 70% of the thermal
conductivity of water, the thermal convection coefficient for a 50/50 glycol
solution is approximately 50% of the coefficient for water. Water in the
cooling system is capable of transferring twice as much heat out of the same
system as compared to a 50/50 glycol coolant and water solution. In order
for a 50/50 glycol mixture to reject as much heat as water (amount of heat
rejected is independent of the coolant), the temperature differentials at
the heat transfer surface must be twice as great, which means higher
cylinder head temperatures.
Table 1
Thermal Properties of Cooling System Materials
Material |
Density
g/cm3 |
Thermal
Conductivity
Watt/m · °C |
Thermal
Convection
Watt/m · °C |
Heat
Capacity
cal/g · °C |
Heat of
Vaporization
cal/g |
Water |
1.000 |
0.60 |
1829 |
1.000 |
539 |
Glycol |
1.114 |
0.25 |
------ |
0.573 |
226 |
50/50 |
1.059 |
0.41 |
897 |
0.836 |
374 |
|
Aluminum |
2.70 |
155 |
|
0.225 |
|
Cast
Iron |
7.25 |
58 |
|
0.119 |
|
Copper |
8.93 |
384 |
|
0.093 |
|
Brass |
8.40 |
113 |
|
0.091 |
|
Ceramics |
|
1 -
10 |
|
|
|
Air |
.0013 |
.026 |
|
0.240 |
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HEAT
TRANSFER
Red Line WaterWetter® can reduce cooling system temperatures compared to
glycol solutions and even plain water. Water has excellent heat transfer
properties in its liquid state, but very high surface tension makes it
difficult to release water vapor from the metal surface. Under heavy load
conditions, much of the heat in the cylinder head is transferred by
localized boiling at hot spots, even though the bulk of the cooling solution
is below the boiling point. Red Line's unique WaterWetter® reduces the
surface tension of water by a factor of two, which means that much smaller
vapor bubbles will be formed. Vapor bubbles on the metal surface create an
insulating layer which impedes heat transfer. Releasing these vapor bubbles
from the metal surface can improve the heat transfer properties in this
localized boiling region by as much as 15% as shown in Figure 2. This figure
demonstrates the removal of heat from an aluminum bar at 304°F by quenching
the bar in different coolants at 214°F under 15 psi pressure. Compare the
time required to reduce the temperature of the aluminum to 250°F, or the
boiling point of water at 15 psi. WaterWetter® required 3.2 seconds, water
alone 3.7 sec, 50/50 glycol in water required 10.2 sec, and 100% glycol
required 21 sec. Water alone required 15% longer, 50/50 glycol 220% longer,
and 100% glycol required 550% longer.
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Performance
Properties of Coolants
Cooling System Fluid |
Stabilized Temperature |
50% Glycol/ 50%
Water |
228°F |
50/50 with
WaterWetter |
220°F |
Water |
220°F |
Water with
WaterWetter |
202°F |
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DYNO TEST
RESULTS
Dynomometer tests performed by Malcolm Garrett Racing Engines showed
significant improvements in coolant temperatures using WaterWetter. These
tests were performed with a Chevrolet 350 V-8 with a cast iron block and
aluminum cylinder heads. The thermostat temperature was 160°F. The engine
operated at 7200 rpm for three hours and the stabilized cooling system
temperature was recorded and tabulated below:
These
numbers are similar to the temperatures recorded in track use and heavy-duty
street use.
COOLANT
EFFECTS ON PERFORMANCE
Under moderate load conditions, each percent glycol raises cylinder head
temperatures by 1°F. 50% glycol raises head temperatures by 45°F. This
increase in temperature will raise the octane required for trace knock
levels by typically 3.5 octane numbers. A car equipped with a knock sensor
will retard the timing to compensate for the increase in octane requirement
by approximately 5°, which will reduce the maximum brake torque by about
2.1%. Racing vehicles not equipped with knock sensors can advance timing for
increased torque.
BOILING
POINT ELEVATION
Red Line WaterWetter® does not significantly increase the boiling point of
water; however, increasing pressure will raise the boiling point. The
boiling point of water treated with Red Line using a 15 psi cap is 250°F
compared to 265°F at 15 psi for 50% glycol. Increasing the pressure by 50%
to 23 psi will increase the boiling point of water to 265°F. Because of the
doubling of the ability of the radiator to transfer heat, boilover using Red
Line treated water is not a problem as long as the engine is circulating
coolant through the head and the fan is circulating air. Sudden shutdown
after very hard driving may cause boilover.
SAE
880266 |
Water +
Red Line |
50% Glycol |
70% Glycol |
Increase in Cylinder
Head Temperature |
Baseline |
+45°F |
+65°F |
Increase in Octane
(RON) Requirement |
Baseline |
+3.5 |
+5.0 |
Change
in Spark Timing
for Trace Knock |
Baseline |
-5.2° |
-7.5° |
Change
in Torque |
Baseline |
-2.1% |
-3.1% |
FREEZING
POINT DEPRESSION
Red Line WaterWetter® does not significantly reduce the freezing point of
water. If the vehicle will see freezing temperatures, an antifreeze must be
used. Water expands approximately 9% upon freezing which can cause severe
engine damage. Even in summertime, the use of air-conditioning can blow
freezing air through the heater and cause freezing of the heater core unless
approximately 20% antifreeze is used.
CORROSION
PROTECTION
Modern automotive engines now use aluminum for heads, radiators, water
pump housings, and nearly all hose fittings. These engines require
significantly greater corrosion protection than their cast iron counterparts
of the past. Aluminum is such an electroactive metal that it requires an
impenetrable corrosion inhibitor film to prevent rapid corrosion. Acid
neutralization capability is very important. Coolant which has been left in
a cooling system for several years has probably become acidic from the
oxidation of the glycol to acids. Also, keeping the glycol concentration in
the cooling system below 50% will help stability.
Red Line
also provides excellent protection from cavitation erosion in the water pump
and cylinder head. Localized boiling in the cylinder head forms vapor
bubbles which collapse when they come in contact with cooler liquids. This
collapse creates tremendous shock waves which removes the inhibitor film
from the aluminum surface and can cause catastrophic erosion of the aluminum
if the inhibitor does not reform the film quickly. Another problem created
by cavitation erosion is the deposition of the removed aluminum as a salt
with poor heat transfer properties in the lower temperature radiator tubes.
Red Line prevents this corrosion through effective film formation and
smaller vapor bubble formation, which has a less violent collapse. Foam
control is equally important since entrained air will cause cavitation
erosion due to the collapse of foam bubbles. Red Line provides excellent
control of foam with water alone and glycol solutions.
Most
coolants additives on the market provide only protection for iron and
perhaps moderate protection for aluminum. The milky soluble oil types can
actually impede heat transfer by wetting the metal surface with oil and this
oil can swell and soften rubber coolant hoses. Table 3 shows the many tests
which the Red Line formula will satisfy and how it compares to a standard
antifreeze.
TABLE 3
Comparison of Corrosion Inhibition Properties |
PROPERTY |
RED
LINE |
SPEC |
COOLANT A |
pH |
8.6 |
7.5 -
11 |
9.8 |
Boiling Point @ 15 psig |
250°F |
|
265°F
(50%) |
Freezing Point |
31°F |
-35°F(50%) |
-35°F |
Foaming Height, ml |
75 |
150 |
50 |
Color |
Pink |
|
green |
Ash, % |
0.5 |
5,
max |
1 |
Surface Tension @ 100°C,
Dynes/cm2 |
28.3 |
58.9
(water) |
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ASTM
D4340 Heat Transfer
Corrosion Test, Aluminum
Weight loss, mg/cm2/wk |
0.21 |
1 max |
0.45 |
ASTM
D1384 Corrosion,
Weight loss, mg/specimen |
|
|
|
Copper |
1 |
10
max |
5 |
Solder |
6 |
30 |
7 |
Brass |
2 |
10 |
5 |
Steel |
1 |
10 |
6 |
Cast
Iron |
0 |
10 |
3 |
Aluminum |
16 |
30 |
30 |
SLIPPERINESS
OF COOLANTS
Red Line WaterWetter® does not alter the frictional property of tire
rubber and water on a pavement surface. The chart below shows the static and
dynamic friction of pavement wetted with different coolant types. Higher
friction indicates less slipperiness. The dynamic friction indicates the
increase in slipping which occurs after the tire begins to break loose.
Water and water with WaterWetter® reduce the friction relative to dry
pavement about 50%, but it is much less than the reduction in friction
caused by ethylene glycol and even more slippery is propylene glycol.
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USE
DIRECTIONS
One ounce per quart of water (or a 50% ethylene or propylene glycol
solution). Add directly through the cooling system fill cap into the
radiator or into the overflow tank. Do not open a cooling system while hot.
For best protection for aluminum, replenish or replace every 15,000 miles.
The anti-scaling ingredients in Red Line WaterWetter allow its use with
ordinary tap water. However, using with distilled or deionized water will
accomplish some scale removal in the cylinder head area. For maximum
temperature reductions use the most water and the least antifreeze possible
to prevent freezing in your climate.
Red Line Synthetic Oil Corp.
6100 Egret Court
Benicia, CA 94510
(707)745-6100
© 2000 Red Line Synthetic Oil Corp.
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