Monitoring Extended Life Coolant with Testing

Using heavy-duty Extended Life Coolant (ELC) within your equipment means the coolant can reach a longer service life, according to coolant manufacturer guidelines. However, issues may arise during extended use. As these issues persist, the coolant’s ability to properly protect internal components can diminish over time.

Monitoring Coolant Properties and Conditions

Coolant manufacturers recommend monitoring engine coolant properties while in the system. Condition monitoring is a key tool and can assist with reaching the indicated lifespan of the coolant and identifying preventable problems like:

  • Contamination
  • Dilution
  • Evaporation
  • Degradation
  • Mechanical issues

Early detection of these problems with regular coolant sampling will provide maintenance personnel with proper recommendations and suggested corrections to address abnormal fluid conditions and can result in fewer failures.

Monitoring ELC with Testing

Monitoring ELC corrosion inhibitors require different test methods compared to test methods used for conventional supplemental corrosion additives (SCAs). Proper laboratory testing and fluid information are important when submitting ELC samples to the laboratory for routine testing. Some ELC formulations that only contain carboxylic acid corrosion inhibitors may utilize a different curve for determination of glycol concentration and ELC fluids require additional testing to monitor carboxylic acid. Understanding the proper testing needed, performing regular fluid analysis and making proper adjustments will assist with reaching the coolant’s extended lifespan.

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Published January 21, 2022

Case Study: Extending Oil Drains with Micropatch Testing

When looking at options available to extend oil drain intervals, a U.K.-based power generation company contacted Delta-Xero® (a fluid systems manufacturer) to assess their new filtration systems as a potential way to remove or reduce contamination levels, optimize oil drain intervals and realize better cost and environmental savings on the company’s operating units.

Download the case study below to see how the power generation customer utilized micropatch testing on their samples to better understand the condition of the oil, and with close monitoring and regular sampling, was able to extend the oil drain interval from a weekly change of around 150 hours, to an operating time of 650 hours on average. This has resulted in a significant decrease in the amount of oil changes required on each engine, as well as significant savings on the labor involved, and the associated disposal costs of the used oil from each change out.

Download the Case Study