A major cause of shortened engine life is
water that forms inside an internal combustion engine when it is
sitting. Water leads to RUST on the precision engine parts, and
to the formation of sludge in the oil, both of which are
harmful. From the minute you shut down, moisture starts to
collect inside your engine. It is the result of both the
byproduct of combustion, and the daily changes in atmospheric
temperature, humidity and barometric pressure. If the metal
parts of the engine ever cool to a temperature that is lower
than the dew point temperature on the air inside your engine,
water droplets will form on the cool engine parts. This
same process that causes "dew" to collect on your automobile in
the morning is collecting water inside your engine. If you can
do something to upset this process of changing temperatures and
humidity levels, (such as lowering the dew point temperature of
the air inside the engine to a temperature considerably below
the outside air temperature,) you can prevent water from ever
forming inside your engine. This is what Our products do.
The Engine Saver is designed to supply a
continuous flow of dry air into the
crankcase of an aircraft engine. This lowers the dew point
temperature of the air inside the engine to a value that is
lower than the outside air temperature. With a dew point
temperature inside the engine lower than the outside air
temperature, water can never collect on the internal engine
parts. A
series of tests were done using a P/N 2039 Engine Saver to demonstrate that the system did
significantly lower the humidity level inside the engine crankcase and in the
upper cylinder area protecting all parts of the engine from
water formation.
Tests were performed on a Lycoming IO-360
engine. Testing were done in the early afternoon in
September. The aircraft had been sitting for over 24hrs in a
hangar. An Extech model 45320 humidity / temperature instrument
was used to obtain data. This instrument measured relative
humidity in %, and temperature in degrees F. The measured
values were then converted to dew point temperatures as this
form is easier to understand. An initial reading was taken to
determine the temperature and humidity levels in the area around
the engine. A relative humidity (RH) of 38% was measured. This
corresponds to a dew point temperature of 60 degrees F. The dew point
temperature is an important number. It is the temperature that
the air must be cooled to, to cause moisture to form. In this
initial reading, it was determined that air conditions were such
that if the temperature of the outside air were cooled below 60
degrees F, water condensation would occur, and moisture would
begin to form on surfaces. The oil stick was then removed, and
the instrument inserted into the oil fill tube. Tape was used to
prevent the entrance of outside air. A dew point temperature of
59 degrees F was measured in the engine crank case. A cardboard
spacer with a small central hole was taped to the exhaust pipe to
prevent the entrance of outside air into the exhaust pipe. The
meter probe was inserted into the opening in the exhaust pipe,
and again the dew point was found to be 60 degrees F.
The Engine Saver adapter and air tube was
then inserted into the end of the engine breather tube where it
extends from the bottom of the cowl. The tube was inserted
in the breather sufficiently so that the foam washers were located above the ice
hole in the breather, sealing it off from the outside air. The
Engine Saver was then plugged in and allowed to run for 30
minutes. At the end of this time, the Engine Saver was turned
off. The oil dipstick was again removed and the meter probe
inserted into the oil fill tube and taped off. The meter
indicated that after 30 minutes. of operation, the Engine Saver
had dropped the humidity level in the crank case from a RH of
38% to 12%. This 12% RH corresponds to a dew point temperature
of 28 degrees F. With the initial moisture level inside the engine
crank case, had the outside air temperature dropped
below 60 degrees F water condensation would occur. It is quite
possible that this temperature could occur during the morning
hours in the month of September, and water would then collect
inside the engine.
After running the Engine Saver for only 30 minutes, the dew
point had dropped to 28 degrees F. There is little likelihood that
the air temperatures would ever drop from 60 degrees at midday
to 28 degrees on a September morning. The possibility
that condensation would occur in the engine was significantly
reduced after only 30 mins. of operation.
The next test was to measure the moisture
level of the air in the exhaust pipe after the 30 minutes of
Engine Saver operation. A measured reduction in moisture level
of the air in the exhaust would prove that the dry air was
migrating past the piston rings and into the upper cylinder area
protecting this portion of the engine as well. The instrument
probe was then inserted into the hole in the cardboard cover
taped on the exhaust pipe, and the humidity level was measured.
The moisture level was measured at 29% RH. This corresponds to a
dew point of 48 degrees F indicating that the dry air was
migrating past the piston rings and into the upper cylinder
areas. Although the dew point was not as low as that measured in
the crank case, it was still a significant reduction for only 30
minutes of operation. The outside air temperature would have to drop to
48 degrees F before condensation would occur.
An
additional test was performed, only this time the Engine Saver
was allowed to operate continuously for 24 hrs before the
measurements were made. Measurements made in the oil fill tube
gave a RH reading of 10%. This is below the minimum accurate reading on the
meter scale. The actual RH reading was probably somewhat less
than 10%, but was beyond the meters capability. The probe was
then inserted into the exhaust pipe and a RH measurement
was made. The instrument read 10% at this point also. Since
these measurements were below the low range capability of the
meter, accurate dew point measurements could not be determined.
However it is safe to say that the moisture level in the engine
crank case and in the upper cylinder area was substantially
reduced by the use of the Engine Saver, and the likelihood of
moisture forming on the precision engine parts was substantially
less than it would have been if nothing was done.
This testing verified that the Engine Saver
functions as described. It reduced the dew point temperatures
and the moisture level in the
engine crank case and in the upper cylinder areas. Lower
dew point temperatures means less chance of condensation occurring, and less
chance of moisture forming and RUST developing. Different dew
point temperatures would have been found if the tests were
performed under different atmospheric conditions. The important
thing is to look at the dew point temperature differences that
were achieved by using the Engine Saver. The fact that the
Engine Saver was able to achieve reductions in dew point
temperatures can be translated directly into an extra margin
against rust formation, and a greater chance of achieving TBO.
The P/N 2065 Black Max functions similarly to
the P/N 2039 Engine Saver. The basic difference is in the way in
which the lower dew point temperatures are achieved. The Black
Max uses an electronic device instead of a chemical drying
agent. to lower the dew point temperature of the air before it
is pumped into the engine breather tube. The Black Max operates
much like the dehumidifier used in a basement. ( Air is pumped
over a cooling surface where it is cooled below its dew point
temperature, water is condensed and collected, and the basement
becomes dryer. ) The Black Max uses an electronic device to cool
the air. This device has the ability to cool the air, and lower
its dew point temperature, at least 40 degrees F. The actual dew
point temperature that can be achieved is dependent on the
outside air temperature. For example, if the outside air
temperature starts at 100 degrees F, the dew point temperature
of the air entering the engine would initially be lower than 60
degrees F. If the outside air temperature then drops from 100
degrees F to 60 degrees F, the dew point of the air coming from
the Black Max would also drop by 40 degrees F to a temperature
of about 20 degrees F. The Dew point temperature of the air
coming from the Black Max is always lower than the outside air
temperature. The unit runs continuously so that changes in
outside air temperature would immediately cause a change in the
dew point temperature of the air inside the engine crankcase.
Levels of performance similar to that of the P/N 2039 Engine
Saver can be expected from the Black Max.