Loading tires with Propylene Glycol

[larso1]

DI water is very corrosive and the ultra pure grades are usually stored in glass containers since it will leach out the polymers in plastic materials. I found this on the web from a mfr of custom liquid cooling equipment:

"Care must be exercised when using DI water. The very lack of ions also makes this coolant unusually corrosive. Called the "universal solvent," DI water is one of the most aggressive solvents known. In fact, to a varying degree, it will dissolve everything to which it is exposed. Therefore, all materials in the cooling loop must be corrosion-resistant."

"Copper and many other common materials are not compatible with DI water and will contaminate it. When you design a system using DI water, be sure to specify DI-compatible materials such as stainless steel or nickel."

It doesn't need air to corrode metals. However, as the DI water dissolves the material it's in contact with, it'll begin to stablize to a point (becomes ionized water). But I don't know how much steel in your rim it'll have to dissolve before that happens (ha!). You can even find a lot of discussion on whether it's safe to drink (!) in quantities because it can apparently leach out salt and minerals from your digestive system. That I can't comment on.

Bill

 

[larso1]

But after thinking about my above post, I realize that you're not going to load the tires with DI water by itself, and the glycol will help to neutralize the aggressive effects..to some degree anyway. And if the glycol is an antifreeze mixture with corrosion inhibitors like Peak or Prestone, the DI water will probably be totally neutralized. But that's just my opinion and I don't have any lab test results to back it up.

I guess this dead horse has been beat enough...by me anyway;o)

Bill

 

[IslandTractor]

I had no idea that DI water was corrosive to mild steel. It's corrosive effects must be related to very long term exposure in settings where the water is exchanged so it remains DI. Other than wondering why someone would bother using propylene glycol, DI and nitrogen instead of methanol, tap water and compressed air to begin with, I also wonder if DI related corrosion would be a real world issue in a closed contaminated system (tire) and a painted metal surface protecting the rim.

In the meantime I will just stick with WWF at $1.25/gallon and forgo the chemical engineering approach.

 

[Soundguy]

I would use the nitrogen just for the thermal stability if nothing else.. lots of high end car shops are offering nitrogen charges for tires..

soundguy

 

[IslandTractor]

I would use the nitrogen just for the thermal stability if nothing else.. lots of high end car shops are offering nitrogen charges for tires..

soundguy

How does thermal stability improve tractor tire function? Would you really bother putting nitrogen in your tractor tires? How have we managed to do without it for so long?

 

[mjncad]

Isn't it the other way around. Deionized water has no salt to corrode metals. I'm not aware of any advantage for deionized water in tractor tires but it doesn't seem likely it would corrode metals.

Not being a chemist I can only guess that the oxygen atoms in DI water are hungry for something to latch onto and oxidize; hence DI water being corrosive. With various mineral impurities in the water, the oxygen atoms are kept in check since they have dissolved mineral ions in the water.

Just a thought.

 

[IslandTractor]

Not being a chemist I can only guess that the oxygen atoms in DI water are hungry for something to latch onto and oxidize; hence DI water being corrosive. With various mineral impurities in the water, the oxygen atoms are kept in check since they have dissolved mineral ions in the water.

Just a thought.

Plausable but you'd think the O's would latch on to the rubber tire material as easily as the painted metal wheel. Lots of stuff oxidizes besides metal. There couldn't be that much oxygen disolved in the water either and in a closed tire system no way for more oxygen to get in. I am also a non chemist I just have trouble imagining that this would be a practical problem (mind you I also cannot fathem why anyone would want to use DI in a tractor tire either).

 

[IslandTractor]

I'm jet lagged and therefore awake and fascinated by this deionized water thang. (Already seen all the pictures of the ex governer's girlfriend on the internet so I've done a little more research).

On review of a number of physics and chemistry sites and also a simple Wickipedia article is it quite clear: Water is water is water as far as tractor tires go. There is precisely zero chance that deionized or distilled water would harm the metal in tractor wheels. Distilled water is purified by boiling and deionized water by running through ion exchange columns. In both cases you end up with WATER. No nasty metal eating tractor damaging fluid, just water.

The reason people talk about deionized water leaching ions from containers is that it does happen but the concern is that it contaminates the water, not that it harms the vessel. There might be a few specialty situations like a nuclear reactor where it could make a difference but I am pretty sure no one as ever ever lost a tractor wheel due to distilled or deionized water. I'm also pretty sure based on this review that no farmer would ever consider using the stuff for ballast. It is just a waste of money given that tap water will do just as well.

I'm done. Going to look for more photos of the gov's girlfriend (he has better taste than Clinton did).

 

[Soundguy]

How does thermal stability improve tractor tire function? Would you really bother putting nitrogen in your tractor tires? How have we managed to do without it for so long?

Look dude.. if you don't like the idea.. don't use it... it's obvious you don't like it.

Your argument that we havn't used it before and thus don't need it now is not a great one.

Mankind has done without advanced medicine and antibiotics up untill a small handfull of decades ago... Using your logic, since our race survived for that long without them.. why use them now.. right?

Thermal stability of the nitrogen means more constant tire pressure.. IE.. they don't sag and droop in the cold, and then don't balloon up when real hot.

Like I said.. lots of upscale tire places are doing nitrogen fills in car tires now. I guess they figure the small cost, and small time investment is negligible, and in return.. you probably get a few more % safety since you ride around on those tires... I'll take a few percent safety boost vs a negligible cost any day.. wouldn't you.

That said.. I'm not going to haul my tractor down to the filling station to get a nitrogen charge.. however if i was there getting rubber all around and it was offered cheap.. i'd take it...

soundguy

 

[orezok]

I would use the nitrogen just for the thermal stability if nothing else.. lots of high end car shops are offering nitrogen charges for tires..

soundguy

The nitrogen thing has been beaten to death on many forums.

The "high end" car shops use it because nitrogen is cheap and they charge a lot to put it in. It's called profit center. Of course, the unmounted tire already has 79% nitrogen in it so filling it with 100% nitrogen still only raises it to the low 90% range.

NASCAR uses it because it is very slightly less expansive than air, but primarily because its "dry". It has no moisture in it which is what causes the most expansion or pressure increase in tires. The difference in NASCAR is that they fill the tires with pure N and then vacuum them down to about 25" vacuum, refill and vacuum down 3 more times. This removes virtually all the oxygen and moisture.

Oxygen molecules are smaller than nitrogen and will migrate through the rubber faster than nitrogen. This is one reason tire pressures drop over time and the main marketing basis for nitrogen because "it is safer" and gets better mileage" than regular air! You can accomplish the exact same thing by keeping your pressures correct.

The final irony is that as the oxygen molecule migrates out of the tire, the percentage of nitrogen actually increases above the 79%. In theory, constant refilling of tires would increase the nitrogen content to near 100% (remember, I said in theory).