ContiTech develops new “coolant” hoses

Hanover, Germany – ContiTech, part of Continental AG, announced on 7 Jan that it has built new oil and coolant hoses for high-temperature applications which would help save weight.

“The new generation of lightweight oil and coolant hoses is primarily used in the engine peripherals – for turbocharger cooling and lubrication, engine cooling or exhaust gas recirculation,” said the ContiTech report.

It added that ContiTech used “very lightweight rubber hoses that adapted to the increase temperature in engine environment” to replace the previously-used steel-braided or Teflon hoses.

“The coolant hoses are designed for temperatures up to 190°C, for a short time even up to 210°C, while the oil hoses manage with a continuous temperature exposure of up to 230°C, even up to 250°C for a short time,” the report continued.

ContiTech added that the “media-resistant hoses are more flexible than previous hoses, enabling various hose installations through pre-forming, if necessary.”

The report went on to say that ContiTech was focusing on the recovery of exhaust heat to heat an additional medium and feeding the resulting gas into the engine to assist the motor and thereby optimize fuel consumption.

The company said that it was already developing hose lines especially for this application. This includes work on new generations of fuel hoses for dual fuel vehicles where there is a combined injection of gas and diesel fuels.

“The new elastomer fuel lines from ContiTech have been adapted to the increasing pressures and temperatures of truck engine compartments as well. They are currently stable up to an operating pressure of 35 bar and temperatures of up to 135 °C and an increase of these parameters is currently being tested at ContiTech,” the report concluded.