Evans
USA proves improvement to fuel economy using 4LIFE Waterless
Coolants
Sharon, Connecticut – May 3, 2010 – Evans Cooling Systems USA today announced
results from over a year’s worth of fuel economy testing. Evans has been testing
its 4LIFE Waterless Coolants in waste collection vehicles, over the road trucks,
and buses, with fuel savings ranging from 3% to 7%.
Year-long test results gathered at USA Hauling,
a Connecticut based refuse fleet, showed fuel savings of 7.2%.
At Veolia Environmental Services in Wisconsin, an on-going trial
has returned a fuel economy improvement of 4.2% for the 7 month
period through April. Mike Tourville, Evans USA Marketing Director,
expected the Veolia savings to increase as ambient temperatures
rise. The Pioneer Valley Transit Authority in Springfield, Massachusetts
conducted a year-long evaluation on several city buses and achieved
fuel savings of 4.4%.
Tourville said, “In each of these cases, Evans
4LIFE Waterless Coolant facilitated the unique fuel saving technique
of increasing the temperature at which the radiator fan actuates.
Radiator fans for heavy duty engines draw considerable power while
running and increasing fan-on temperatures saves fuel because the
fans run less frequently.” He added that “The use of 4LIFE Waterless
Coolants also enables increasing the engine thermostat temperature
for saving fuel, a technique proven at Auburn University.” |
The
PAVE Research Centre at Auburn University conducted an SAE Type
II Fuel Consumption Test (J1321) using two Detroit Diesel-powered
trucks from its fleet. The test truck was converted to 4LIFE
Waterless Coolant and its thermostats were replaced with Hi-Flo
thermostats actuating at 215°F.
To remove the fans from being
a variable, the fans of both trucks were locked “on” 100% of
the time. The test truck achieved a 3.04% improvement in fuel
economy over the control truck. The full report is available
from Evans and via PAVE’s website: www.pavetrack.com
According to Tom Light, Chief Engineer for
Evans USA, “4LIFE Waterless Coolants enable heavy duty engines
to exploit fuel saving techniques that involve higher coolant
temperatures.
Specifically the engine metal temperatures
remain under control and no vapor (steam) is generated between
hot metal and liquid coolant.” He added that, “Evans 4LIFE Waterless
Coolant works because of the huge separation between its operating
temperature and its boiling point.
A fan-on temperature of 230°F,
for example, is more than 100°F colder than 4LIFE ’s boiling
point of 375°F, but very close to the failure temperature of
a water-based coolant.” |
Important
maintenance benefits also derive from the very large separation
between operating temperature and boiling point. Results from
the John Deere Engine Cavitation Test (now ASTM Test Procedure
D-7583) prove that Evans 4LIFE Waterless Coolants provide the
best protection against cavitation erosion (vibration pitting)
of cylinder liners as compared to any other coolant. (4LIFE performed
70% better than the second-best fluid). “With 4LIFE, the coolant
is so much colder than its boiling point that vibration doesn’t
cause vapor to form and collapse, scrubbing the cylinder liner
as is the case with water-based coolants,” Light said.
The pressure
in the expansion tank comes solely from heat expansion of the
fluid and there is no pressure component from vapor. If the cap
is removed from a hot engine, there is no gusher of steam and
boiling coolant. The lower cooling system pressure reduces stress
on cooling system plumbing and hoses.
The fuel economy testing
Evans Cooling Systems has completed confirms the fuel savings
advantages that Evans 4LIFE Waterless Coolants can deliver for
trucking fleets, waste management vehicles, buses and other heavy
duty engine applications.
Mike Tourville of Evans said “With
the rising cost of fuel, fleets and owner-operators need to find
ways to control expenses and, as these tests show, Evans Cooling
Systems is helping to improve fuel economy and reduce maintenance
costs.” |
