Liquid Form Antifreeze

The versatility of these materials allows for their application in various contexts, with nitrite, calcium nitrate additive, and calcium nitrate, nitrite, and chloride additive specifically designed as additives. Among the American-produced additives based on calcium nitrite, carbamide has successfully resulted in regions with relatively mild weather conditions and concrete temperatures above -10 degrees Celsius. While this antifreeze admixture promotes a smooth and uniform concrete mixture, it does not significantly accelerate the hardening process. Urea, one of the components of CNNU or CCNNU (mixtures of urea with nitrite, calcium nitrate, or chloride, nitrite, calcium nitrate), has been employed in this regard.

“Concreting in cold regions requires careful control of liquid phase freezing points. Adding a reliable calcium nitrite antifreeze admixture ensures consistent hydration and prevents internal ice formation during winter placement…”
Each combined antifreeze admixture has its specific range of applications and associated benefits, enabling efficient performance across a wide temperature spectrum. By lowering the freezing point of water, antifreeze admixtures require a consumption amount proportional to the mixed water’s weight. This consumption amount varies depending on the water-to-cement ratio. When calculating the consumption of antifreeze, similar to concrete plasticizers, based on the cement ratio, a higher water-to-cement ratio leads to a lower concentration in the solution, affecting the hardening rate below freezing temperatures. However, such concerns are alleviated when determining the antifreeze admixture quantity based on the water weight in the mixture. Consequently, all relevant tables provide the amount of antifreeze admixture based on the required water content in the mixture, following the common practice for liquid additives.
For comparative purposes with other admixtures, the amount of antifreeze used can be calculated based on the cement quantity in the mixture instead of water. In such cases, an average water-to-cement ratio of 0.5 can be assumed.