Ultrasonic Degassing of Anti-Freeze and Cooling Liquids

Ultrasonic degassing is a highly effective and efficient method for removing dissolved gases from coolants and anti-freeze liquids. Its application in industrial settings, particularly through the use of probe-type sonicators, ensures that these critical fluids perform optimally, safeguarding the equipment and systems they are designed to protect. As industries continue to demand higher performance and reliability from their cooling systems, ultrasonic degassing will remain an essential process in ensuring the longevity and efficiency of these systems.

Advantages of Ultrasonic Degassing and De-Aeration

Ultrasonic degassing and deaeration of coolants offer several advantages over traditional methods, making them highly effective for industrial applications.

Advantages of Ultrasonic Degassing and Deaeration

• Rapid Process: Ultrasonic degassing is faster compared to traditional methods, quickly removing dissolved gases from coolants.
• Efficient Gas Removal: The cavitation effect generated by ultrasonic waves ensures thorough removal of gases, including oxygen, leading to a bubble-free, homogeneous coolant.
• Improved Thermal Performance: By eliminating gas bubbles, ultrasonic degassing enhances the thermal conductivity and overall cooling efficiency of coolants.
• Energy Efficiency: The process is energy-efficient, reducing the need for heating or vacuum systems typically used in other degasification methods.
• Inline Integration: Ultrasonic degassing can be easily integrated into continuous, inline processes, allowing for real-time treatment of large coolant volumes.
• Enhanced System Protection: Effective gas removal prevents issues like cavitation and corrosion, improving the longevity and reliability of cooling systems.

 
The process is significantly faster and more efficient, as ultrasonic waves create intense cavitation that rapidly removes dissolved gases, including oxygen, from the coolant. This leads to a more thorough degasification, ensuring the coolant remains homogeneous and free from bubbles, which can cause cavitation, corrosion, and reduced thermal performance. Additionally, ultrasonic degassing is energy-efficient and can be easily integrated into continuous, inline processes, allowing for real-time treatment of large volumes of coolant without the need for heating or vacuum systems. This results in improved cooling efficiency, enhanced protection of system components, and overall better reliability and longevity of cooling systems.

Why is Degasification Necessary?

Degassing is a critical process in various industrial applications, particularly when dealing with liquids that are used in high-performance or sensitive environments, such as anti-freeze and cooling liquids (coolants). These liquids often contain dissolved gases like oxygen and nitrogen, which can lead to several operational issues. The presence of these gases can cause cavitation, reduce thermal conductivity, and lead to corrosion within cooling systems. Cavitation, in particular, can cause pitting and erosion in metal components, which significantly reduces their lifespan and efficiency. Moreover, gas bubbles can impede the flow of the liquid, causing inefficiencies and potential blockages in cooling circuits. Therefore, degassing is necessary to ensure that the coolant or anti-freeze performs optimally, maintains system efficiency, and extends the life of the components it interacts with.
 

Ultrasonic degassing: Ultrasound removes entrapped gas bubbles from liquids

Degassing of Coolants and Its Industrial Relevance

In industrial settings, the quality and reliability of coolants and anti-freeze liquids are paramount. These liquids are widely used in automotive, aerospace, electronics, and heavy machinery industries, where they play a vital role in maintaining optimal operating temperatures and preventing overheating. Ensuring that these fluids are free from dissolved gases is essential to avoid the problems mentioned earlier. In automotive engines, for example, the presence of gas bubbles in the coolant can lead to hot spots, reducing the engine’s cooling efficiency and potentially causing engine failure. In electronics, where cooling liquids are used to dissipate heat from sensitive components, gas bubbles can lead to localized heating and component failure. Given the critical nature of these fluids, industrial processes require a reliable and efficient method for degassing to maintain the performance and safety of machinery and equipment.

Ultrasonic Degassing – The Working Principle

Ultrasonic degassing is an advanced technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to remove dissolved gases from liquids. The process relies on the phenomenon of cavitation, where ultrasonic waves create alternating high and low-pressure zones within the liquid. During the low-pressure phase, small vacuum bubbles form within the liquid. These bubbles then collapse during the high-pressure phase, leading to the rapid expulsion of dissolved gases from the liquid. The sound waves used in ultrasonic degassing typically range from 20 kHz to several MHz, depending on the application. The intensity and frequency of the ultrasound can be adjusted to optimize the degassing process for different types of liquids. Ultrasonic degasification is highly efficient and can be applied to both small-scale laboratory settings and large-scale industrial processes.
 

Ultrasonic degassing using a flow cell setup. This experiment was a prototype small-scale water loop with a volume of 0.8 gallon, inert gas flow of 0.2 sfcm/min, and intensity of 275 W/cm2. This shows a reduction in oxygen removal time by about 70%.
Study and picture: Rubio et al. 2016

Ultrasonic Degassing of Coolants and Anti-Freeze

When applied to coolants and anti-freeze liquids, ultrasonic degassing offers several advantages over traditional degassing methods. Traditional methods, such as vacuum degassing or heating, can be time-consuming, energy-intensive, and may not be as effective in removing all dissolved gases. Ultrasonic degassing, on the other hand, is faster, more energy-efficient, and can achieve a higher degree of gas removal. This process is particularly effective in ensuring that the coolant or anti-freeze remains homogeneous and free of bubbles, which is crucial for maintaining the fluid’s thermal properties and flow characteristics. By ensuring that the liquid is thoroughly degassed, ultrasonic treatment helps prevent issues such as cavitation, corrosion, and flow blockages, thereby enhancing the overall performance and reliability of the cooling system.

Industrial Probe-Type Sonicators for Inline Degassing

In industrial applications, the use of probe-type sonicators for inline degassing has become increasingly popular. These sonicators are designed to be integrated directly into the production line, allowing for continuous and efficient degassing of coolants and anti-freeze liquids as they are processed. Probe-type sonicators work by emitting ultrasonic waves directly into the liquid as it flows through the system, ensuring that degassing occurs in real-time. This inline process is particularly beneficial for large-scale operations, where maintaining a consistent and high-quality output is essential. Industrial probe-type sonicators are typically robust and can handle large volumes of liquid, making them ideal for use in automotive manufacturing, electronics cooling systems, and other heavy industrial applications. The ability to customize the frequency and power of the ultrasonic waves ensures that the degassing process can be tailored to the specific needs of the application, providing a versatile and efficient solution for maintaining the quality and performance of coolants and anti-freeze liquids.

Design, Manufacturing and Consulting – Quality Made in Germany

Hielscher ultrasonicators are well-known for their highest quality and design standards. Robustness and easy operation allow the smooth integration of our ultrasonicators into industrial facilities. Rough conditions and demanding environments are easily handled by Hielscher ultrasonicators.

Hielscher Ultrasonics is an ISO certified company and put special emphasis on high-performance ultrasonicators featuring state-of-the-art technology and user-friendliness. Of course, Hielscher ultrasonicators are CE compliant and meet the requirements of UL, CSA and RoHs.

The table below gives you an indication of the approximate processing capacity of our ultrasonicators: