CoreTrans road tests Bendix PuraGuard
A leading transportation carrier road testing the Bendix PuraGuard oil-coalescing air treatment solution developed by Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC has found it to be more effective than competitor oil-coalescing technologies.
CoreTrans, LLC, a leading provider of transportation services based in Somerset, Ky., reported a series of ongoing air system failures in its 100 vehicle fleet. Failing components included competitor push-pull dash valves and spring brake modulating valves. Fleet officials predicted that every CoreTrans vehicle would experience some form of air system failure within 300,000 miles and that diaphragm deterioration would necessitate the replacement of all brake chambers within 400,000 miles.
Upon inspection by CoreTrans and others, the failure root cause was diagnosed as oil, water, and other contaminants getting past the air dryer into the air brake system. The carrier’s air dryers were competitor dryers with standard non-oil-coalescing cartridges, original equipment on the trucks.
In response, CoreTrans fitted the existing non-oil-coalescing cartridges on some vehicles with the same make competitor oil-coalescing cartridges. The new units began to pass excessive oil into the vehicle air systems in less than 12 months. To remedy the problem, the carrier then replaced the cartridges a second time, fitting Bendix PuraGuard oil-coalescing cartridges on the competitor’s air dryers. More than a year later, the vehicles are operating with no failures and no indication of excessive oil entering the air systems.
“The industry is moving to oil-coalescing technology, and our experience reveals how important the right oil-coalescing technology is to maximum performance and air system longevity,” said Brian Whitaker, CoreTrans vice president. “Bendix PuraGuard technology is proving to be the best solution for preserving our air systems and keeping our vehicles running longer.”
Oil-coalescing air dryer cartridges are designed to keep oil out of a vehicle’s air system. As more vehicles use air for non-braking functions, it is vital to protect each fleet’s investment in expensive engine, emission, and drivetrain systems. This need escalates for vehicles built after 2007 and 2010 due to the additional technologies required to meet stricter emissions regulations. Oil-coalescing technology protects expensive vehicle systems, such as safety critical brake components, diesel particulate filters (DPFs), Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) systems, transmissions, and more.
“In order to help the fleets protect their investment, more and more vehicle and engine OEMs are requiring the use of oil-coalescing air dryer cartridges,” said Steve Mance, Bendix vice president and general manager for the charging business group. “They want to protect fleets from costly repairs of the new systems, which have added a total of $10,000 to $15,000 to the cost of each commercial vehicle since 2007. At Bendix, we are committed to providing oil-coalescing air dryers with industry-leading ability to remove oil and other contaminants from the air brake system, increased service cycle, and ease of maintenance. We believe the data shows that the Bendix PuraGuard oil-coalescing technology provides the right level of protection.”
Additional carriers are also currently evaluating oil-coalescing solutions. “After a year of vehicle testing among a mix of fleet sizes and a range of applications, vocations, and climates – results underscore the industry-leading effectiveness of the Bendix oil-coalescing solution,” Mance added. “The fleet evaluations validate extensive testing by Bendix that shows the company’s oil-coalescing dryers perform longer than competitor dryers, helping to reduce replacement and maintenance costs.”
A leader in the commercial vehicle industry for over 80 years, Bendix pioneered commercial air dryers more than 40 years ago. The company developed its first oil-coalescing air treatment solution a decade ago. A distinguishing feature of the Bendix spin-on cartridge design resides in a patented check valve. Coalescing filters are more efficient when air flows only in one direction through the coalescing media. The Bendix patented check valve enables this one-way flow and makes Bendix oil-coalescing technology more efficient than the available competitor’s design.“The Bendix solution is also unique in where we place the oil-coalescing filter,” Mance said. “Unlike competitor cartridges, we locate it before the desiccant so that it can remove oil and oil aerosols before they get to the moisture-removing desiccant. In our design, oil doesn’t foul the desiccant and reduce its ability to remove moisture. Bendix wants to keep fleets and owner-operators on the road and out of the shop by not allowing their expensive downstream components to get contaminated by oil.”
The Bendix PuraGuard oil coalescing cartridges are now available for the AD-IS, AD-IP, AD-9, AD-SP and AD-RP air dryers. Bendix has completed product application guidelines for its oil-coalescing cartridges and is now making that documentation available.