TotalEnergies modern cooling fluids

Protect against overheating and corrosion

20 stycznia 2023

TotalEnergies' modern coolants meet the requirements of the latest engines, but we also recommend them for older designs including classics and vintage vehicles. The highest quality glycols protect against freezing, and organic corrosion inhibitors OAT keep cooling systems in perfect condition for many years. Patryk Mikiciuk, who chose them for his collection at the Museum of Motorization and Technology in Otrębusy, also knows this. The adequate amount of fluid donated by TotalEnergies for the needs of the approximately 300 exhibits collected there will certainly effectively protect them for several more seasons.

A running internal combustion engine produces large amounts of energy, only a small part of which - about 35% - is converted into energy that moves the vehicle. The rest is heat, which must be skillfully dissipated so that the engine does not seize. This is the responsibility of the cooling system, filled with the appropriate fluid. Why not water? While water has excellent heat dissipation properties, it fails here for at least three reasons. It has too high a freezing point (at 0°C), too low boiling point temperature (already at 100°C) and causes corrosion.

Glycols in the right proportions

To ensure proper temperature parameters, specially prepared coolants are used in cooling systems. Most often they are prepared from water and glycols (usually ethylene glycol). With the appropriate proportions of the solution, we obtain a freezing point of about -37°C and a boiling point of about 108°C.

It is extremely important not to use undiluted glycol for engine cooling. This is because this type of alcohol has a peculiar characteristic that makes the freezing point drop as it is diluted. That is why it is mixed with water. It sounds paradoxical, but undiluted ethylene glycol freezes as low as -13°C and, most importantly, has much worse heat transfer and heat dissipation properties. Therefore, we should not use undiluted concentrates. This can cause damaging the system and overheating the engine.

In the European climate, it is appropriate to dilute the concentrate with water in a 50/50 ratio, which lowers the freezing point below -35°C. Of course, we recommend deionized water to reduce possible scale-forming salts.

Boiling and freezing curves for ethylene glycol/water solution.

Corrosion protection - OAT

A very important role is always played by the quality and purity of the glycol used, since the cheapest ones are subject to oxidation during operation causing the formation of acidic compounds that not only do not protect but can even accelerate the corrosion of the cooling system. However, the most important issue is electrolytic corrosion. It is prevented by using additives called corrosion inhibitors. The most modern and technologically advanced coolants contain special additives - OATs, or Organic Additive Technology (Organic Corrosion Inhibitors). Their purpose is to prevent corrosion.

COOLELF AUTO SUPRA -37°C - TotalEnergies' state-of-the-art coolant containing Organic Corrosion Inhibitors

Examples of such a coolant from the TotalEnergies product range, are COOLELF AUTO SUPRA -37°C and GLACELF AUTO SUPRA and GLACELF ECO BS fluid concentrate.

Again, the concentrate should be diluted with water without worrying about its negative effects on corrosion, because it is the organic inhibitors that block it. The action of organic inhibitors is based on the effect of deactivating Fe2+ cations with inhibitor molecules, which act locally, selectively, exactly where they are needed. The corrosion reaction is largely blocked.

Action scheme. Organic Additive Technology (OAT) Corrosion Inhibitors.

The selective and local action of these inhibitors has tremendous advantages. The main one is the significant extension of the life of OAT fluids. Their effectiveness is 5-6 years or 250,000 km for passenger vehicles and 650,000 km for trucks. That is why organic fluids of this class are labelled Long Life. Compared to conventional technologies, the corrosion protection of the cooling system is 2-3 times longer. It is also significant that fluids containing OAT do not form a passivating layer that impairs heat transfer. In addition, organic inhibitors do not degrade at rapid temperature jumps and do not precipitate in the form of deposits that could block the radiators’ channels.

An additional advantage of COOLELF AUTO SUPRA -37°C / GLACELF AUTO SUPRA fluid is the coloring with special fluorescent dyes, which allows you to easily locate leaks in the cooling system.

No age restrictions

As we mentioned at the beginning, TotalEnergies' modern cooling fluids meet both the requirements of the latest engines and are ideal for classics and vintage cars. Thanks to their anticorrosive properties, they work well with old cooling systems that used materials such as cast iron and cast steel. The highest quality glycols protect against freezing, and organic corrosion inhibitors OAT keep cooling systems in perfect condition for many years.

As part of the promotion of the new products, TotalEnergies has secured a well-known collection of unique vehicles collected at the Museum of Automotive and Technology in Otrębusy, with cooling fluids.

TotalEnergies coolants developed for the latest cooling system designs are also ideal for youngtimers, classics and vintage cars, as they have laboratory-confirmed anti-corrosion properties. Their compatibility with various types of metals and very good thermal conductivity are also very important advantages. For our museum, they are the best choice.

Patryk Mikiciuk, journalist, collector, co-owner of the museum in Otrębusy

Fluids based on organic inhibitor technology have been on the market for a couple of years. Absolutely recommended by designers of new vehicles for their durability, better cooling - heat exchange and lack of deposits that can form blockages. The question arises - what about the use of such fluids in vehicles that are already 20 - 30 years old? The short answer is that the sooner we switch to the new technology, the more effectively we can stop the corrosion process in these vehicles. There is no problem of compatibility with seals or materials like cast iron, cast steel, etc. The only recommended operation when switching from the old fluid to the new is to flush the system of dirt, sludge, deposits, and residues of the old fluid.

Andrzej Husiatynski, Head of Technical Department TotalEnergies Marketing Poland

About TotalEnergies Marketing Polska
TotalEnergies Marketing Poland has been operating in Poland since 1992 and has an established position in the motor oil market. It offers products from two well-known brands TotalEnergies and Elf. Since 2008, TotalEnergies also offers bitumen products and has a presence in the industrial specialty fluids market. In December 2014, TotalEnergies launched its first gas stations in Poland, thus entering the retail market. In 2021, TotalEnergies opened its first car washes and launched a project to establish an electric vehicle charging network.

About Marketing & Services TotalEnergies department
The business segment TotalEnergies Marketing & Services offers to its professional and private customers a wide range of energy products and services - petroleum products, bio-fuels, charging electric vehicles and related services, gas for transport by road and sea - to support mobility thereof and to help them reduce the carbon footprint. Every day more than 8 million customers visit our 16 000 fuel stations all over the world. As number four in the world in the field of lubricants, we design and sell high-efficiency products for motorisation, industrial and maritime sectors. So as to respond to the needs of our B2B customers best, we implement our sales forces, our international logistics network and our diverse offer. We operate in 107 countries where 31 000 employees of ours are close to all our clients.

About TotalEnergies company
TotalEnergies is a multi-energy company that manufactures and sells energy in the global scale: crude oil and bio-fuels, natural gas and green gas, renewable energy sources and electric energy. 105 000 our staff members are involved in generation of the increasingly cheap, pure, reliable and available to the greatest possible number of people energy. Being active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies focuses its activities on sustainable development in all dimensions thereof, in particular in the area of its business projects and operations that shall contribute to increased quality of life of people all over the world.

Contact TotalEnergies
Bartosz Cyran | bartosz.cyran@proautomotive.pl | +48 662 454 679

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