A Silicone wetting agent (Dow) also reduces entrained air and
reduces pumping losses in large chilled water air conditioning systems.
Bryan
Albaugh, Neil wrote:
> Ron;
>
> That's a very good question; I haven't seen any reliable test data
> comparing plain water with wetting agents or glycol.
>
> Water alone has the highest specific heat (how much heat it takes to
> raise its temperature) but it is claimed that a wetting agent improves
> the thermal conductivity at the coolant interface. Glycol raises the
> boiling point but it lowers the specific heat of the coolant so if you
> can run a high enough system pressure it seems like pure water would be
> a better coolant, given the same boiling point. Of course the glycol has
> some other properties that are beneficial-- corrosion inhibitors, water
> pump lubricant, etc.
>
> We used to use water with a high percentage of sodium dichromate
> dissolved in it as coolant in Bob's McLaren. It acts as a passivation in
> the aluminum block, coolant tubing, etc. Since it was a bright orange
> color it was also easy to spot a leak.
>
> Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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