Waterless coolant is a

glycol A diol is a chemical compound containing two hydroxyl groups ( groups). An aliphatic diol is also called a glycol. This pairing of functional groups is pervasive, and many subcategories have been identified. The most common industrial diol is e ...

-based liquid substance that does not contain

water Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...

. Its boiling point of is higher than that of water-based coolants and it resists the formation of

corrosion Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engi ...

. The substance was invented to circumvent the problems of vaporizing water. When water vaporizes, it retains only 4% of its

thermal conductivity The thermal conductivity of a material is a measure of its ability to conduct heat. It is commonly denoted by k, \lambda, or \kappa. Heat transfer occurs at a lower rate in materials of low thermal conductivity than in materials of high thermal ...

. Water-based coolants are safe at temperatures below the boiling point of water to maintain the pressure of the system. Waterless coolant has environmental benefits, including reducing the use of cooling fans and therefore improving fuel economy. The

coolant A coolant is a substance, typically liquid, that is used to reduce or regulate the temperature of a system. An ideal coolant has high thermal capacity, low viscosity, is low-cost, non-toxic, chemically inert and neither causes nor promotes corrosi ...

does not generally need changing, reducing the

hazardous A hazard is a potential source of harm. Substances, events, or circumstances can constitute hazards when their nature would allow them, even just theoretically, to cause damage to health, life, property, or any other interest of value. The probabi ...

waste following repeated coolant flushes.

Automotive use

Waterless coolant is most prominently used in the cooling systems for motorsports,

classic car A classic car is an older car, typically 25 years or older, though definitions vary.While other languages, such as German and Dutch, may refer to classic cars as "oldtimers", this usage is unknown in English, where "old-timer" refers to an elder ...

, ATVs, UTVs,

snowmobiles A snowmobile, also known as a Ski-Doo, snowmachine, sled, motor sled, motor sledge, skimobile, or snow scooter, is a motorized vehicle designed for winter travel and recreation on snow. It is designed to be operated on snow and ice and does not ...

and older cars. Older cars often have non-pressurized cooling systems, and the water-based coolant can boil and overflow. Traditionally, this issue has been solved by topping off the radiator with water. This dilutes the coolant and the water can contain minerals harmful to the vehicle.

Classic car A classic car is an older car, typically 25 years or older, though definitions vary.While other languages, such as German and Dutch, may refer to classic cars as "oldtimers", this usage is unknown in English, where "old-timer" refers to an elder ...

owners have adopted waterless coolant to solve this problem. Jay Leno uses waterless coolant for his replica 1937 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic vehicle.

Other uses

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...

used waterless engine coolants in its backup generators in part to reduce labor costs because traditional water and ethylene glycol-based coolants typically need replacing every three years. Waterless coolant lasts the life of the engine, and there is no need to have that system pressurized, which has shown to reduce stress on the cooling system plumbing. Waterless coolant has been used to reduce fuel usage by limiting the amount of time the radiator fan needs to be on.

Waste management Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitorin ...

departments have used waterless coolant for their fans to save on fuel costs.

Primary agents

Waterless coolant is glycol-based. The liquid avoids

and electrolysis while the additives remain

soluble In chemistry, solubility is the ability of a substance, the solute, to form a solution with another substance, the solvent. Insolubility is the opposite property, the inability of the solute to form such a solution. The extent of the solubi ...

Freeze point

Waterless coolant acts as an

antifreeze An antifreeze is an additive which lowers the freezing point of a water-based liquid. An antifreeze mixture is used to achieve freezing-point depression for cold environments. Common antifreezes also increase the boiling point of the liquid, all ...

, protecting engines to .

Disadvantages

Waterless coolant is generally more expensive than traditional water and ethylene glycol-based coolants.

References

{{Reflist Coolants Engine cooling systems Cooling technology