A refrigerant is used to promote a decrease in the temperature of something.
Refrigerant is an adjective that refers to that which cools . Refrigerating , on the other hand, is the action carried out to lower the temperature of something .
The term can be linked to the conduit that has a double wall: a liquid flows through it and is cooled by the influence of another liquid that is in the external enclosure.
History of refrigerant use
A refrigerant, on the other hand, is a substance that absorbs heat from another body and therefore cools it. Water , whether in liquid form or as ice, is the most common coolant and has been used since prehistoric times.
Over time, man began to investigate the action of these refrigerants, adding salt to water, modifying the vapor pressure and using compressed air. Already in the 19th century , the use of methyl chloride , ammonia and other fluids as refrigerants became common.
Currently, refrigerants used industrially must have certain properties that guarantee their stability and safety during use. In general, these are substances that are neither flammable nor explosive, and that also do not corrode the materials with which they come into contact.
Air conditioning equipment, cold rooms and ice factories are some of the facilities that require refrigerants for their operation. In automobiles, a coolant that combines glycol and water is used to dissipate heat from the engine and thus prevent overheating.
In cars, coolant helps dissipate heat from the engine.
Its use in cars
Choosing a good coolant for your car is not easy, as there are many options and also different points of view about what is the best practice . Some people even wonder if it is possible to mix it with plain water . Another common question is how often it needs to be replaced. Let's see below some concepts and points of view related to this topic.
Thanks to acting as an antioxidant and having a boiling point higher than that of water, coolant is more efficient for a car's cooling system. Based on this explanation, it is correct to say that it is not advisable to mix both products or simply opt for water, but rather to limit yourself to using the liquid recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.
Water as a coolant in vehicles
But what happens if we use water instead of coolant, exactly? Firstly, it can lead to the formation of particles that act as a blockage in the system , hindering flow and exposing it to excessive temperatures and high pressures.
Furthermore, if water has been used for a long time, going directly into the coolant can also have negative consequences, such as causing damage to the cooling system. A very precise reason is that the coolant liquid is also capable of cleaning the ducts it passes through, dragging all the elements that it finds in its path , and when it promotes the detachment of fragments of the rust caused by water, these can clog or damage soft parts. of the engine, such as the hoses.
To avoid such a situation, it is best to take the car to a specialist to examine it and determine if the change can be made. In any case, it is worth mentioning that the instructions prepared by car manufacturers always specify what kind of fluid should be used.
As a curious fact, the higher the height above sea level of a city, the lower the boiling point of liquids, both water and coolant, will be. Although these are minimal differences, of a few degrees, this can be one more reason to avoid the use of water in the cooling system.