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Cooling fan
Coolant pressure
Because the thermal efficiency of internal combustion engines
increases with internal temperature the coolant is kept at
higher-than-atmospheric pressure to increase its boiling point.
A calibrated pressure-relief valve is usually incorporated in the
radiator's fill cap. This pressure varies between models, but is
typically 9 psi (0.6 bar) - 15 psi (1.0 bar).
As the coolant expands with increasing temperature its
pressure in the closed system must increase. Ultimately the
pressure relief valve opens and excess fluid is dumped into an
overflow container. Fluid overflow ceases when the thermostat
modulates the rate of cooling to keep the temperature of the
coolant at optimum. When the coolant cools and contracts (as
conditions change or when the engine is switched off) the fluid
is returned to the radiator through additional valving in the cap.
Coolant
Cars operate in a wide variety of temperatures, from well
below freezing to well over 100 F (38 C). 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. By adding
ethylene glycol to water, the boiling and freezing points are
improved significantly.
Freezing Point
Boiling Point
Pure Water
50/50
C2H6O2/Water
70/30
C2H6O2/Water
0 C / 32 F
-37 C / -35 F
-55 C / -67 F
100 C / 212 F
106 C / 223 F
113 C / 235 F
Boiling or overheating
On this type system, if the coolant in the overflow container
gets too low, fluid transfer to overflow will cause an increased
loss by vaporizing the engine coolant.
Severe engine damage can be caused by overheating, by
overloading or system defect, when the coolant is evaporated
to a level below the water pump. This can happen without
warning because, at that point, the sending units are not
exposed to the coolant to indicate the excessive temperature.
To protect the unwary the cap often contains a mechanism
that attempts to relieve the internal pressure before the cap
can be fully opened. Some scalding of one's hands can easily
occur in this event. Opening a hot radiator drops the system
pressure immediately and may cause a sudden ebullition of
super-heated coolant which can cause severe burns