ROCKLEDGE, FL – February 2003 – Operating a vehicle in the oppressive heat and sandy conditions of the world’s desert regions has proven quite a challenge for the U.S. military over the years. But thanks to Mainstream Engineering Corporation, the U.S. Marines’ powerful M9 Armored Combat Earthmover (ACE) now boasts a high-performance, high-reliability, environmentally friendly A/C system.


Mainstream successfully field-tested its Operator Cooling System for the ACE – an 18-ton armor protected, high-speed bulldozer – to aid in desert military operations where significant heat-stress problems often result under sweltering temperatures exceeding 140°F. The M9 ACE is a highly mobile, fully tracked vehicle that provides combat engineer support to front-line forces. Its tasks include eliminating enemy obstacles, maintenance and repair of roads and supply routes, and construction of fighting positions.


Designed for maintenance-free cooling, the Operator Cooling System combats high ambient operating conditions where HFC refrigerant and POE oil combine to provide an ideal breeding ground for acid and moisture problems. To avoid such debilitating problems, the M9 ACE cooling system uses Mainstream’s QwikShot® Acid Flush™ to remove unwanted acid from operating units, along with QwikLook™ moisture indicators. QwikShot® Acid Flush™ is the only acid treatment approved by the M9 ACE manufacturer.


According to Mainstream Engineering Corporation, QwikShot® Acid Flush™ is the sole acid treatment on the market that does not neutralize the acid. Instead, it quickly flushes any harmful acids into the filter-drier of the operating system. This allows the filter-drier in the system to remove the acid (and the Acid Flush itself), leaving no residue or contaminant behind. The patented QwikShot® Acid Flush™ (US Patent # 5,770,048) also removes the acid without any of the problems associated with neutralization. Conversely, other neutralization acid treatments leave a residue of some kind – a basic law of chemical reactions – and can therefore cause serious problems to an A/C system.