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Borates Add Elemental Improvements to Engine Intake Filters

:: Wednesday, September 4, 2019 :: Posted By Orion Graham
The humble intake filter is one of the simplest components of an engine, but one of the most important for ensuring optimal engine performance and fuel efficiency. For more than 100 years—almost as long as combustion engines have been in use—filters have protected engines from the grime in their operating environments.

Today, the importance of that function is magnified as automotive manufacturers and industrial organizations strive to meet demanding requirements for lower emissions and higher fuel efficiency.

To help meet those standards, today’s engine filters incorporate sophisticated engineering and a carefully balanced chemical makeup that makes them dramatically different from their predecessors. Boron is a key component in these technically advanced filters.
 

Benefits of technically advanced engine intake filters

As global industrial companies look for ways to support national and international sustainability efforts, many turn their attention to their transportation fleets and heavy equipment. Industries from trucking to agriculture to construction rely on tractors, trucks, and machinery to get their work done and products delivered. But those important industries are facing the same challenges to reduce emissions and fuel consumption as individual households.

Installing better engine intake filters is a surprisingly effective and cost-efficient fix that makes a significant improvement in meeting sustainability goals. A high-quality intake filter provides key benefits:
  • Lower emissions
  • Better fuel economy
  • Longer engine life
  • Better engine performance
To achieve these benefits, engine intake filters have to perform in seemingly contradictory ways. They have to keep dust and other particulates out of the engine while allowing clean air to flow in freely.
 
Modern filter media employ nanofiber technology, improved adhesives, and chemical compositions that improve the strength and dust-holding capacity of the filter but allow free flow of air.
 

How borates improve engine intake filters

Manufacturers of high-quality industrial engine intake filters rely on the multi-functional capabilities of borates to perfect the adhesives and fibers that form the core of their products.

When used in adhesives and sealants, borates form interchain linkages that improve viscosity, tack speed, and fluid properties. Borates can also improve fiber strength and rigidity by forming crosslinks with polymers in the fiber. These properties deliver numerous benefits to air filter performance including:
  • Strength to ensure the filter can function in increased airflow
  • Improved fluid flows to boost the effectiveness of particle filtration
  • Stiffness to keep pleats stable during installation and use
  • Thermal stability to help the filter perform in high-temperature operations
  • Chemical stability to protect the filter from fuel and lubrication additives

The simplest components can make the biggest impact

Manufactures of today’s advanced engine intake filters understand that the products they make are essential to improving operations and sustainability for a variety of industries. Likewise, they understand that quality inputs are critical in their chemically precise manufacturing processes.
 
The advanced chemistry that is involved in creating today’s high performing intake filters requires precise manufacturing process control.
 
20 Mule Team® Borax Neobor® provides the consistent high-quality borate source they require. With Neobor, manufacturers get:
  • High quality, refined borates, free of contaminants
  • A consistent, concentrated source of boric oxide (B2O3)
  • Specific particle size that ensures easy handling and precise measuring
In addition, manufacturers can rely on U.S. Borax expertise and customer service, accessing one-on-one technical support when questions arise.
 
Sometimes the simplest elements make the biggest impact. Learn more about the difference that Neobor makes in the manufacture of hundreds of products essential to modern living.


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U.S. Borax, part of Rio Tinto, is a global leader in the supply and science of borates—naturally-occurring minerals containing boron and other elements. We are 1,000 people serving 650 customers with more than 1,800 delivery locations globally. We supply around 30% of the world’s need for refined borates from our world-class mine in Boron, California, about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.  Learn more about Rio Tinto.

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