Ways To Beat The Heat
Throughout history, animals have employed a variety of ingenious methods for keeping cool. Elephants flap their ears. Cape ground squirrels use their bushy tails as parasols. Koala bears press themselves against tree branches. These sorts of strategies are becoming increasingly important as global temperatures rise inexorably.
Temperature regulation is equally crucial in the mining industry, where Brobdingnagian vehicles work around the clock to extract valuable resources from the earth. Modern mining trucks are immense. At DBA Silencing, we manufacture parts for these leviathans and – although we make plenty of air intake and coolant system components – we specialize in mufflers.
These are not the types of units that most people have in mind when they think of mufflers, however; the mufflers we make are heavy-duty cylinders that stand taller than some people. You can learn more about our mufflers, if you’re interested, by checking out our blog post “Let’s Hear It For DBA Mining Truck Mufflers“.
Now, our mufflers help control noise. And our coolant system components help control temperature. Large trucks have large engines that generate a large amount of heat. If this heat isn’t managed properly, all sorts of issues can result. These issues include truck fires, internal damage, mobile asset downtime, decreased productivity, and lost revenue. Clearly, coolant systems are an essential part of a robust mine site fleet. In today’s blog post, we’ll talk about the main components of coolant systems and then briefly touch on the unique advantages of DBA’s coolant system parts.
Coolant System Components
In this article, we’ll be covering four different mining truck coolant system components: coolant fluids, radiators, pumps, and thermostats. Let’s examine each of these in turn.
Coolant Fluids
In the human body, blood plays a key role in maintaining optimum anatomical temperature. When a reduction in temperature is needed, vasodilation occurs; more blood flows to the skin and heat is released. Vasoconstriction is the opposite; when blood vessels are narrowed, blood flow to the skin is restricted and less heat is lost.
Coolant fluid is similar in that it’s also a thermoregulating liquid. Modern coolant fluids are specially formulated to absorb and disperse heat. Typically mixtures of water and antifreeze, contemporary compounds not only prevent freezing in colder climates but also raise the boiling point, allowing the system to operate at higher temperatures without compromising efficiency.
Today’s advanced coolant fluids are also equipped with additives and inhibitors that prevent corrosion. They form a protective layer on the surface of the metals they contact, preventing them from reacting with the air and forming oxides. This of course improves the longevity of mining truck coolant system parts.
Radiators
Mining trucks, with their enormously powerful engines, require effective heat exchange mechanisms to lower the temperature of the circulating coolant fluid. Coolant system designers place radiators in locations that allow them to function as primary heat exchangers. These large metal coolant system components are equipped with a series of fins and tubes that maximize the surface area available for heat dissipation.
Some mining trucks are now taking cooling to the next level by utilizing innovations such as variable-speed fans and active grille shutters {also known as radiator shutter assemblies}. These state-of-the-art devices enable the coolant system to adapt to varying operating conditions, ensuring that the truck’s engine remains within the optimal temperature range while at the same time boosting fuel economy and reducing emissions.
Pumps
Coolant fluids move through a coolant system with the aid of mighty pumps. These units work hard to create a consistent and continuous flow of coolant, which increases the likelihood of uniform thermal distribution and prevents hotspots.
Thermostats
Maintaining precise control over the operating temperature of your mining trucks is critical if you wish to prolong the life of your mobile assets and harness their full productivity potential. Present-day coolant systems are equipped with sophisticated heat sensors and control units that work hand in hand. This equipment tracks the temperature of the engine and other consequential coolant system parts, allowing the system to make real-time adjustments to elements of the equation such as coolant flow and fan speed.
The DBA Silencing Edge
Having discussed coolant system components and functions, let’s switch gears and talk about the ways in which DBA coolant parts differ from those of the competition.
Sturdiness
Mining trucks often operate in bleak and bitter conditions. This typically takes a toll on the trucks, and it’s not uncommon for certain front-line exhaust parts to be replaced every couple of years. Coolant system components, however, don’t usually exhibit quite as much wear and tear. Particularly not mining truck coolant system parts made by DBA Silencing. At DBA, our expert welders craft each part by hand using only high-quality steel. As a result, we’ve seen several situations where our coolant kits outlasted trucks and were used on a number of different vehicles.
Ease Of Installation
DBA’s aftermarket coolant system components are generally much lighter than their OEM counterparts. Parenthetically, the same is also true of DBA’s exhaust and air intake kits. This makes them much more manageable in the field, and reduces the amount of stress they place on trucks fitted with them.
No Sticker Shock
Modern mining trucks are far from cheap. They cost millions to purchase, and OEM replacement parts are often pricey. The good news for those wishing to keep costs down is that DBA’s coolant system components are far less expensive than OEM comparables. Normally, they’re also more affordable than the aftermarket coolant parts sold by other companies. If you have any doubts about this, by all means contact us for a quote!
Wrap Up
In the piece you just read, we looked at the main components of coolant systems and reviewed a few of the considerations that set DBA apart from others in the industry. If you have questions, we can be reached at info@dbasilencing.ca and 1-800-661-5886. You can also, if you wish, spend some time exploring our website and our catalogue. If you don’t have any questions, we’ll consider this case closed. And since it’s a blog post about coolant, we’ll tuck it away in the cold files.