Diesel Piston Cooling Technology Breakthrough from Federal-Mogul Powertrain

EnviroKoolTM sealed-for-life coolant gallery enables higher crown operating temperature in heavy-duty engines

PLYMOUTH, Mich., July 7, 2016 …Federal-Mogul Powertrain, a division of Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: FDML), has developed a world first in piston cooling technology by creating a sealed-for-life coolant chamber within the crown of its market-leading Monosteel® heavy-duty diesel piston. Branded EnviroKoolTM, the technology allows pistons to run safely at crown temperatures in excess of 100°C higher than today’s limits, working where appropriate in conjunction with high oxidation resistant steel alloys and protective crown coatings. 

“Future diesel engines with more efficient combustion and greater specific power will have to run hotter combustion chambers, but engine manufacturers are constrained by piston crown temperature limits,” commented Gian Maria Olivetti, Chief Technology Officer, Federal-Mogul Powertrain. “EnviroKool enables higher temperatures without compromising the strength or durability of the piston.”

Delivering superior cooling efficiency with minimum weight, EnviroKool is the latest evolution of Federal-Mogul Powertrain’s well-proven Monosteel®technology. An integral cooling gallery is created within a steel piston using friction-welded construction and then filled during the manufacturing process with a high temperature oil and an inert gas, before being permanently sealed with a welded plug. The EnviroKool technology has enabled Federal-Mogul Powertrain to overcome the temperature limitations of conventional open galleries that have to use engine lubricating oil as the heat transfer medium. 

“The prolonged exposure of engine oil to higher temperatures in the piston oil cooling gallery leads to degradation and carbon build-up, reducing the cooling efficiency and leading to overheating,” explained Keri Westbrooke, Director Engineering & Technology, Federal Mogul

Powertrain. “The superior high temperature properties of the EnviroKool gallery coolant allow it to handle increased gallery temperatures reliably, with the heat subsequently removed from the undercrown – where temperatures are lower – by a standard cooling oil jet.”

With no build-up of carbon in the cooling gallery, heat dissipation remains unhindered for the life of the piston. The new technology is so effective that the oil cooling flow to the spray jets can be cut by 50 percent, reducing work for the oil pump, lessening parasitic losses and improving engine efficiency. The heat removed from the piston as a result of the spray jets is additional to that which is conducted away through the pin, piston skirt and ring pack.

Federal-Mogul Powertrain has already accumulated more than 1,400 hours of testing on heavy-duty engines fitted with EnviroKool Monosteel pistons. Development programs are underway with several customers on engines scheduled for production launch within the next five years. 

“EnviroKool is our latest in a succession of enabling technologies designed to help our customers produce engines and vehicles with a reduced carbon footprint, without compromising longevity, durability or performance,” concluded Westbrooke.

Federal-Mogul Powertrain will present a range of heavy-duty diesel pistons at the IAA Show in Hanover, Germany, September 21-29, 2016. The company will exhibit at Booth C28 in Hall 13.

About Federal-Mogul

Federal-Mogul Holdings Corporation (NASDAQ: FDML) is a leading global supplier of products and services to the world’s manufacturers and servicers of vehicles and equipment in the automotive, light, medium and heavy-duty commercial, marine, rail, aerospace, power generation and industrial markets. The company’s products and services enable improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and enhanced vehicle safety.

Federal-Mogul operates two independent business divisions, each with a chief executive officer reporting to Federal-Mogul's Board of Directors.

Federal-Mogul Powertrain designs and manufactures original equipment powertrain components and systems protection products for automotive, heavy-duty, industrial and transport applications.

Federal-Mogul Motorparts sells and distributes a broad portfolio of products through more than 20 of the world’s most recognized brands in the global vehicle aftermarket, while also serving original equipment vehicle manufacturers with products including braking, wipers and a range of chassis components. The company’s aftermarket brands include ANCO®wiper blades; Champion®spark plugs, wipers and filters; AE®, Fel-Pro®, FP Diesel®, Goetze®, Glyco®, Nüral®, Payen®and Sealed Power®engine products; MOOG®chassis components; and Ferodo®, Jurid®and Wagner®brake products.

Federal-Mogul was founded in Detroit in 1899 and maintains its worldwide headquarters in Southfield, Michigan. The Company has more than 53,000 employees globally. For more information, please visit www.federalmogul.com.

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