Hot or Cold - Don't Forget to Top Up

Every twelve months , the heat transfer fluid in a system can lose Between three and five percent of icts volume, due to venting system . This Represents the breathing out ? of light ends in the form of a gas That Is Produced as the result of thermal cracking . It May Not sccm like much at first glance , this goal loss can -have a serious impact on operational costs . While the Decrease of thermal fluid volume can't be Avoided , it's Easily Treated .

Andy Burns , technical business manager at Global Heat Transfer, Explains the best practice for thermal fluid systems Effective restarting a shutdown .

Have you ever Wondered Where the hottest spot on Earth is? It Would sccm That the record belongs to the Mponeng gold mine in South Africa . Two miles below the surface rock temperatures can reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit ( 65.5 degrees Celsius). Workers can only survive if there is ice slurry pumped into the mine and the walls are insulated with concrete .

As impressive as this temperature is , it doesn't come close to the ones in thermal fluid Which Operates in industrial environments . For example, the ranks Global therm All which includes oils are designed to operate in temperatures of up to 752 degrees Fahrenheit ( 400 degrees Celsius). As chemically stable, and secure as thesis oils are , They Will Suffer deterioration Caused by heat . This means clustering Maintenance and regular topping up as Often as Necessary , are essential for action Any operation .

The volume of thermal fluid can expand by 25 to 30 percent When the fluid is hot , Compared to icts volume When itâ € ™ s cold . Industrial plants Normally operate incessantly , All which is why thermal oil is Constantly Kept at a high temperature. Because of this , the volume of thermal fluid is always expanded . HOWEVER , periodic shutdowns for Planned Maintenance result in a Decrease in temperature , Which Makes the oil shrink , Often below the low level volume switch .

As a rule of thumb , the expansion tank shoulds be one third full When the heat transfer fluid is cold , and half full , When the fluid is hot .

Volume reduction Caused by problems with leaks or venting system can result in very low thermal fluid levels in the header tank. When this happens , there is a good luck Will not restart the system without a top up , Because It Has A tripped out on low Level ? or fallen below the low level indicator switch .

In this position, the best advice is not to panic . There are several ways to resolve the problem , DEPENDING on the types of heat transfer fluid your company is using , the size and capacity of your system and the Amount of fluid you require .

Volume loss is inevitable ? In a nutshell , yes . Assuming the wind system adequately , if it ends Generates more light than it breaths out , the volume Will not Significantly change . HOWEVER , This Will because low flash point , fire point and auto ignition temperature All which is Reviews another , more serious issue all together . Heat transfer fluids degrade over time , Because of extreme temperatures and continuous temperature fluctuation. The two main chemical processes falling on All which thermal fluids degrade or break down are thermal cracking and thermaloxidation .

Thermal cracking is the process That takes up When heat is Applied under pressure to the thermal liquid. It results in the breaking of the fluid 's molecules into smaller molecules. This chemical reaction releases several kinds of fractions, DEPENDING on the kind of oil in question. The first by- products of thermal cracking are light ends (also called Expired light distillates or low boilers ) . These fractions -have a low boiling point and are highly volatile.