Truckers transporting freight
in, out and through Zimbabwe
can save up to 6% on fuel a year
while extending tyre life by 20%
by simply replacing the air in their
tyres with pure nitrogen.
Fleet operators can fill the tyres
themselves using ‘plug and play’
systems that can be used anywhere
in Africa, says
Gerald Quinlivan,
commercial and
sales manager of
the Intaka Tech
gas division.
Intaka Tech is
the African agent
for NitroFill.
“We recently sold
our first model
in Uruguay to a
Mercedes truck
dealership that
wants to target the
bus industry,” he adds.
According to Quinlivan, the costs
of the equipment will be recovered
within months by operators with
ten or more trucks and “doing
the kind of mileage they cover in
Zimbabwe”.
Zimbabwean truckers or tyre
fitment centres investing in this
technology will have first-mover
advantage through lower costs, he
says.
“In the past, the equipment
needed to produce
nitrogen was large
and expensive.
Using the latest
technology, PSA
generators produce
nitrogen from the
air we breathe on
your workshop
floor,” he says.
“As far as we
know there are no
PSA generators
in Zimbabwe at
present. With
Nitrofill equipment you have a
practical solution to reduce your
operating costs.”
Benefits of using nitrogen in
tyres have been linked to a more
consistent tyre pressure, longer tyre
life, enhanced safety and improved
fuel efficiency.
Water vapour and oxygen in
conventional air-filled tyres makes
the rust in a rim increase to the
point where it bubbles up and
allows a path for air to escape.
“Another lesser-known effect
of oxidation is that according to
laboratory research, oxygen works
its way into the rubber molecules in
the tyre.
“The reason this is important
is that when oxygen reacts with
rubber it changes its chemical
properties making it more
susceptible to wear.”
INSERT
Truckers can save up to
6% on fuel a year while
extending tyre life by
20% by simply replacing
the air in their tyres
with pure nitrogen.
– Gerald Quinlivan
CAPTION
Gerald Quinlivan of the Intaka Tech gas division with the model E-170
nitrogen separator.
