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| Know Your Car : Car Cooling System |
Cars operate in a wide variety of temperatures, from well below freezing to well over 38 degrees C (100 degrees F). So whatever fluid is used to cool the engine has to have a very low freezing point, a high boiling point, and it has to have the capacity to hold a lot of heat.
Water is one of the most effective fluids for holding heat, but water freezes at too high a temperature to be used in car engines. The fluid that most cars use is a mixture of water and ethylene glycol (C2H6O2), also known as antifreeze.
| |
Pure Water |
50 - 50
(C2H6O2) - Water |
70 - 30
(C2H6O2) - Water |
| Freezing Point |
0 C (32 F) |
-37 C (-35 F) |
-55 C (-67 F) |
| Boiling Point |
100 C (212 F) |
106 C (223 F) |
113 C (235 F) |
By adding ethylene glycol to water, the boiling and freezing points are improved significantly. The temperature of the coolant can sometimes reach 121 to 135 degrees C (250 to 275 degrees F) .
Even with ethylene glycol added, these temperatures would boil the coolant, so something additional must be done to raise its boiling point.
The cooling system uses pressure to further raise the boiling point of the coolant. Just as the boiling temperature of water is higher in a pressure cooker, the boiling temperature of coolant is higher if you pressurize the system. Most cars have a 14 to 15 pounds per square inch (psi) pressure limit, which raises the boiling point another 25 degrees C (45 degrees F), so the coolant can withstand the high temperatures.
Antifreeze also contains additives to resist corrosion.
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