How does Bitron work?
In order to answer the question "how does Bitron work?" we have to answer the reason why Bitron is needed in the first place. The simple answer is to reduce friction and therefore reduce heat, noise and wear while increasing efficiency (fuel economy).
Friction
A significant portion of the power developed in the expansion of gas in engine cylinders is used to overcome friction created by moving parts and flow of gases (ie. exhaust system). The tight tolerances and numerous engine systems create a lot of opportunity for friction to occur. Friction is one of the root causes of heat, noise (vibration) and wear. All are wasted energy not going to the wheels, and therefore wasted fuel. Only a certain portion of the theoretical power output is available as the effective (actual) power output. Lubrication will have a significant impact on the friction cost incurred in the form of horsepower diverted to overcoming friction. As energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed and transferred, it is possible to take the power "stolen" by friction and divert it to effective power output resulting in increased efficiency and engine life. Engine life is directly affected by heat, vibration and wear. Bitron addresses the "stolen" energy at the source.
What happens to lubricants (ie. engine oil) when friction is occurring?
Friction breaks down the fluid film of the lubricant between the surfaces: produces wear or metal loss, scuffing, tearing and welding between the metal surfaces: releases energy in the form of heat, which can be adverse to the mechanism and contaminates the lubricants used. This is one of the reasons why engine oil gets dirty over time. Another reason is oxidation.
Oxidation
"As the oil oxidizes it becomes increasingly corrosive resulting in greater wear of metal surfaces. It is a vicious cycle and one of the reasons why you should check your oil regularly...
Moving parts are theoretically designed so that there is sufficient fluid pressure between the moving parts to keep these parts separated by this fluid film. This is what is called hydrodynamic lubrication (which can be compared to what is called hydroplaning, where under wet road conditions, the water that is sandwiched between the tire and road surface, under certain speeds, separates the tire from the road surface, giving the effect whereby the tire is gliding on a pressurized film of water) and is the ideal lubrication theory. Changes in load and speeds however tend to make this film thin, resulting in metal-to-metal contact. When this happens, the following phenomena occur between the metal surfaces: welding, scuffing and/or tearing, or absorbs heat; it starts to oxidize, resulting in an increase in viscosity (compared to new oil at comparable temperatures), acid, peroxide, carbon residue, sludge and asphaltene formation. As the oil oxidizes it becomes increasingly corrosive resulting in greater wear of metal surfaces. It is a vicious cycle and one of the reasons why you should check your oil regularly and change it as per your maintenance schedule or sooner when under greater operating loads (commercial equipment, farming, long trips, extreme temperatures, cold starting etc.)
The process of oxidation becomes critical when oil is operating above 150°F (66°C). It is not uncommon to find lubricating oil sump temperatures in excess of 250°F (121°C). The rate of oxidation doubles for each 18°F (8°C) rise in temperature of the oil above 150°F (66°C). It is easy to see how susceptible the engine oil (especially in turbo charged engines like diesel engines) is to oxidation. Also, it is important to understand that the viscosity of oil decreases as oil temperatures increase, resulting in loss of ability to form fluid film between the metal surfaces, causing greater metal-to-metal contact. All of the above only serve to prove that friction is the greatest demerit inherent in internal combustion engines, transmissions and differentials.
"...completely adequate or perfect lubricants are not economically
possible.
Lubricants are required to carry out numerous functions in order to provide adequate lubrication. Crankcase oils, in addition to reducing friction and wear, must keep the engine clean and free from rust and corrosion, must act as a coolant and sealant, and must serve as a hydraulic fluid in an engine with hydraulic valve lifters. The lubricant may function under high temperatures and in the presence of dust, water and other adverse atmospheric conditions as well as with materials formed as a result of incomplete combustion: it must be resistant to oxidation and sludge
formation. Therefore, many lubricants contain many additives and agents to meet these demands but completely adequate or perfect lubricants are not economically possible. If such oils were produced, your cost would be over ten times what you may now pay for every oil change. Market competition has created lubricants that deliver the minimum necessary to be competitive at specific price points, not the optimum lubrication for optimum operation and efficiency of your vehicle. This is where Bitron comes in. By using Bitron you choose to create the optimum lubricant.
The success of conventional lubricants is predicated upon maintaining a high film strength oil barrier between two surfaces moving relative to each other. Bitron's unique technology enhances this drastically and takes lubrication a step further at the metal surface level. It not only has a superior film strength to reduce friction in the toughest operating conditions but it impregnates metal at the friction surface to provide ongoing protection that will not drain away or wear down easily.
Lubricant types
The majority of lubricants are either mineral (paraffin, naphtene, asphalt), synthetic (esters, polymers), solids (graphite, molybdenum, zinc) or greases (oils with various organic or inorganic thickeners). Several additives are added to these products to enhance their anti-wear, detergency, anti-corrosion and other properties. Modern engine oils for example contain eight to ten different additives accounting for 15-20% of the volume in the container. These include solids such as:
Detergents:
- Calcium
- Magnesium
- Sodium
- Barium
Anti-wear:
- Phosphorus
- Zinc
- Molybdenum
- Titanium
- Boron
In addition to the additives, oil may contain trace contaminants such as iron, lead, nickel and aluminum among others. It is extremely important to use reputable manufacturers and check the container was sealed well to avoid introducing these into an engine.
Mechanism of Bitron lubrication
Bitron does NOT contain solids (such as zinc) to prevent wear. Bitron is referred to as an extreme pressure property lubricant (E.P. agent). Originally it was developed as lubrication for air cooled air craft engines - an incredibly demanding lubrication environment. Bitron is made by "chemically" treating hydrocarbons that are then attracted to the source of friction.
Energy that occurs from friction is converted to heat. The heat occurs from billions of collisions from microscopic peaks called asperities (see image) on the surface of moving parts. In regular oil, these asperities immediately break off and become wear particles detectable in oil. Bitron, by contrast, helps prevent this through its film strength and metal bond. The asperities bend, fold and smooth out with Bitron and result in a smoother surface and far fewer breaks so there are fewer wear particles and reduced friction. In addition to that, the localized heat caused by asperity collisions causes normal lubricants to migrate away from the source of friction, but not Bitron. Bitron's positive ionic charge is attracted to the heat and therefore to the source of friction. Therefore, Bitron creates a layer which is continuously replenished and self healing as normal wear occurs. Even better, Bitron's attraction is stronger in extreme operating conditions as there is more heat!
Bitron is carried to the friction surfaces by the lubricant or fluid it is added to. You should never use Bitron by itself (unless it's the Penetrating Lubricant). Bitron enhances the carrier lubricant. If there is friction, the chemicals implanted into the hydro-carbon molecular chain of this product bond themselves to the metal surface. This bond is no thicker than the size of the average oil molecule. It is not a "coating" or a formation of a thick "film" but a bond between the surface metal molecules and certain components of Bitron. When this occurs and metal contacts metal, the possibility of welding, tearing and scuffing of the metal surfaces are substantially reduced, and instead, by taking advantage of friction (movement, pressure and heat), the disparities in the metal surface are smoothed out. Our product does not remove metal, but folds over the peaks that are a cause of the metal-to-metal contact. By reducing the possibilities of metal tearing under contact, our product allows the metal surfaces to work against each other to gradually smooth each other out. Within certain limits, smoother metal surfaces means less friction.