Specialist thermal management company, Zircotec Group, is launching a new range of engine performance enhancing products ahead of the 2018 season. The range includes newly formulated thermal barrier coatings for cylinder heads and engine blocks, as well as piston crowns and valve bases. They provide increases in engine performance and durability by efficiently managing heat transfer through crucial components.
“We work with the world’s biggest motorsport teams to continually develop ways to improve performance through innovative thermal management,” explains Graeme Barrette, Sales Director, Zircotec Group. “Our new range of engine coatings is the latest example of solutions developed through extensive collaboration with technical partners and OEMs. Over the course of 2018 we will continue to expand our product range through significant investment into research and development.”
The cylinder head and engine block coatings provide a significant reduction in heat loss, reducing under-bonnet temperatures and improving the thermal efficiency of the engine. The company is also finalising piston crown and valve base coatings (pictured), which will be released later this year. The benefit of the product is to prevent damage to the component through increased thermal resistance and the reduction of stresses caused by uneven heat transfer. It also keeps heat within the combustion chamber and exhaust stream, preventing its transmission to the rest of the engine and improving performance. Initial tests show heat transmission can be reduced by up to 20%, compared to an uncoated piston crown.
The new products use Zircotec Group’s range of propriety plasma applied ceramic coatings, which provide significant, market-leading thermal barrier protection. The technology offers up to 33% temperature reduction and can withstand heat of up to 1350°C.
Zircotec is a specialist heat management company that was formally part of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, based near Oxford, UK. Its expertise in thermal barrier technologies was originally developed for the nuclear industry and many of its scientists and engineers have remained with Zircotec since its nuclear origins. The company’s products include: proprietary plasma-sprayed thermal barrier coatings; exhaust system coatings; inlet manifold coatings; heat shield materials; wear resistant, anti-corrosion and aesthetic coatings; ceramic coatings and metal coatings for carbon composites and high-temperature plastics; and specialist plasma-sprayed ceramic products.
