Fluids & Fuel Testing

Fluids and fuel testing uses a laboratory environment to simulate the conditions that a vehicle component would endure in the real world. The results of this analysis help identify any potential failures or leaks that the part may experience during operation.

As a leading testing partner to the automotive industry, Element provides expert laboratory analysis of fluids and fluid systems, including engine oil, transmissions, vehicle cooling systems, refrigerant fluids and more as part of a components or system test program.

During fluids and fuel testing, our experts condition the fluid by applying different pressures, temperatures, and flow rates. Thanks to our cutting-edge laboratory equipment and extensive expertise, we can condition fluids to extremely high or subzero temperatures (from -50°C to +150°C) to provide certainty that your product can withstand the extreme temperatures characteristic of the industry.

Fluid Cooling Systems Testing

In an industry where minimizing energy requirements to help boost fuel economy is essential to staying competitive, Element provides testing of fluid cooling systems, battery cooling systems for both internal combustion and EV/hybrid vehicles, AC systems, and additional variations specific to customers’ requirements.

Element provides Tier 1 and Tier 2 automotive manufacturers with timely, accurate, and reliable fluid cooling systems analysis that yields valuable performance information to help you optimize your system, minimize energy for better fuel economy and improve your processes. We test virtually any configuration, from simple O-rings and hoses to complete systems, and our capabilities cover all vehicle classes, including passenger cars, crossovers, SUVs, pick-up trucks, buses, motorcycles, military vehicles, off-road vehicles, and additional components.

Our years of experience in physical, environmental and durability testing allows us to offer complete analysis of vehicle fluid systems (radiators, radiator hoses, AC lines, condensers, and more). Our testing also extends to multiple fluid types, including hydraulic, transmission, brake, power steering, engine and battery coolants, and glycols.

Radiator Aging Testing

Element’s state-of-the-art vehicle testing facilities and team of industry experts allow us to perform intensive radiator aging tests per automotive test standards, and a battery of physical endurance tests after the accelerated aging process. This provides valuable insight on the radiator’s performance throughout its usable life.

Element technicians test complete radiator systems by running high-temperature coolant through radiators for an extended period of time, typically thousands of hours, and test the parts for leaks by submerging them in water tanks. The physical tests include mechanical fatigue testing, where technicians apply cyclic loads to the radiator ports to test for fatigue strength, and pressure pulse, where cyclic pressure is applied to the radiators with a specific pressure profile at elevated temperatures.

These tests determine the long-term durability of radiator systems after they have been mechanically aged through prolonged contact with high-temperature coolant. The high temperature simulates the stress radiators endure over the course of many years, and allow our experts to test samples with similar material strength as samples that have been in service for a very long time. This provides manufacturers with data to help them understand how their samples may fail after being subjected to the same load tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of times. Long-term fatigue strength is a different failure mode than short-term overloading, and must be validated in testing.

The Element Advantage

Partnering with Element allows you to take advantage of our laboratory infrastructure, encompassing Class 1 Division 1 environmental chambers. Our extensive expertise in materials and product qualification testing for the transportation sector makes us your single-source provider for all of your testing needs. We have broad expertise in fluids and fuel analysis to support your R&D projects and help you meet regulatory specifications. Our goal is to make certain that your products are durable and perform safely during operation for their entire lifespan.

To learn more about our complete fluids testing and analysis services or our many other vehicle systems testing capabilities, contact us today.