Troubleshooting a coolant problem

[yucca]

Not sure if this is the right forum for this?

Had a little overheat issue.

-Cat C-15 engine.

-20 gallon cooling system.

-Engine would shutdown at the overheat temp.

-Their was a temp differential of 10 degrees from the top to the bottom of radiator.

-All the normal overheating T/S procedure list were checked off without success.

Ended up taking a closer look at the coolant. It had to much ethylene glycol. Drained 4 gallons and replaced with water.
The engine has run at 1800 RPM for 100 straight hours now with a 20 degree difference from top to bottom of radiator with zero overheat issues since.

The problem is getting coolant off of the bottom of the bulk tank. It is a higher % of Ethelyn glycol.

H2O evap?

The bulk tank is 20,000 gallons. It currently has about 6,000 gallons of ethylene glycol/ distilled water at what is supposed 50/50 mix.

The tank was able to circulate the front half with a 2 hp trash pump. Since detecting the issue we have plumbed the tank to circulate both halves of the tank front and back. To try and get a better mix.

I am currently getting a reading with my refracto meter of 55% ethelyne glycol at -47. This is after one hour of circulation. The pump moves a bunch of liquid at a high rate.

I have got readings of as high as 60% ethelyne glycol.

How do I get a good consistent mix as well as consistent refracto test result? Am I loosing the water mix trough evap?


Here is an example of coloration.

The bottle to the left is a virgin gallon jug of 50/50

The center is after one hour of circulating the front half of tank.

The thrid bottle (right side) is straight from bulk without circulation.

The photo quality is not greatest due to low light. I can take more.

 

[Chris142]

Its not evaporating. Some one put too much coolant in it somehow. Id drain 2 more gallons out and add 2 gallons of distilled water to it and recheck.

 

[andyd]

Maybe the vendor gave you a rich mixture. Can you take a sample off the top? Average the top and bottom. If it averages out, then you need a better mixer than a 2 hoss pump. If it is rich . then order some good water.

 

[JimPghPA]

Just my opinion, but it might help:

If you can, plum the pump to also do a cross flow such as take from the bottom on one side, and return to the top of the other side.

I think a cross flow along with a bottom to top flow would do a better job than a simple bottom to top on the same side of the tank.

If you can not access the opposite side for the plumbed cross flow, an other way to get some cross flow would be aim the return flow to shoot across the tank.

 

[JimPghPA]

If the tank is round you could plum the return from the pump to cause a circular flow. With a thank that large the Coriolis effect will have to be taken into account. So if you do plum it for circular flow, since you are located within the northern hemisphere of earth, you want the circulation to be counter clock-wise if you were looking down from above. (Look at the flow of a toilet as it flushes.)

 

[yucca]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
Just my opinion, but it might help:

If you can, plum the pump to also do a cross flow such as take from the bottom on one side, and return to the top of the other side.

I think a cross flow along with a bottom to top flow would do a better job than a simple bottom to top on the same side of the tank.

If you can not access the opposite side for the plumbed cross flow, an other way to get some cross flow would be aim the return flow to shoot across the tank.


The tank is rectangular. It was circulated from the bottom center(pump side) back into the same pump side. Now it is plumbed to cirulate to the oppisite end of the tank. It is 2" line.

 

[SHOZ]

Is the tank pressurized?

 

[yucca]

Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Is the tank pressurized?


No. Vented