Radiator Overflow Tank
The cooling system is one of the most
important systems in the vehicle because it keeps the engine at a right
temperature, allowing it to work efficiently. Since the engine takes
charge of burning the air and fuel mixture, it produces large amount of
heat that makes the parts so hot and vulnerable to damage. The cooling
system prevents this to happen as it dissipates the heat from the
engine and its parts through the coolant. This coolant absorbs the heat
as it circulates around the engine and goes to the radiator where it
transfers the heat to the cool air.
A coolant is a mixture of
water and anti-freeze, which is a chemical solution, usually ethylene
glycol and anticorrosion chemicals. When heated the coolant expands;
thus, most cooling systems have expansion tank that provides storage
space for the heated coolant. The expansion tank is usually plastic and
is connected to the radiator through the overflow tube. It is also
called as the radiator overflow tank, coolant-recovery tank, coolant
reservoir, or simply overflow tank or canister. These names imply its
function, which is to hold the overflowing coolant that absorbed the
heat from the engine.
Not all vehicles have a radiator overflow tank; however, this part is
helpful in the cooling system. Without it, the expanded or heated
coolant would flow out of the overflow tube and eventually, out of the
vehicle and out on the street. The expansion tank or radiator overflow
tank provides additional space for the coolant to stay after it
absorbed the heat from the engine. Also, the radiator overflow tank
removes air bubbles from the coolant, thus, allowing it to absorb heat
much faster. Furthermore, when a vehicle has an overflow tank, the
radiator is always full.
Only enough amount of the heated coolant goes to the radiator for
cooling and this goes back to the engine to absorb heat once again.
When the engine cools, vacuum is created in the cooling system since it
is a closed system. This causes the coolant in the radiator overflow
tank to be sucked back into the cooling system.
