Demo Makes a Point About Nitrite-free ELCs

摘要

Stede Granger, OEM technical manager, Shell Lubricants, conducted a simple, yet convincing experiment at a technology seminar Shell hosted in Santa Barbara, Calif., for trade journalists in the trucking, mining, and construction industries. In the experiment, Granger used two identical die-sel-engine cylinder liners, one taken from an engine that had operated 316,718 miles using conventional fully formulated coolant, and the other from an engine that had operated 349,195 miles on Shell's Rotella ELC NF, which is an extended-life coolant formulated to be nitrite free. Nitrite is a vital component in fully formulated antifreeze and is used to prevent liner cavitation, which occurs when tiny bubbles, formed in the coolant by the vibration of the liner, implode against the liner and erode its surface. Left unchecked, cavitation can eventually cause a breach in the liner wall, allowing coolant to seep into the engine.