FEATURE FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
MAINTAINING HEAT TRANSFER SYSTEMS
Carbonisation is only one thermal fluid
parameter that should be checked during these regular tests if a process manufacturer is to ensure the efficient, safe and compliant operation of their heat transfer systems. Other criteria against which oil should
be tested, ideally as part of a continuous thermal fluid risk assessment and management programme, include total acid number (TAN), viscosity and water content. Water will impede an oil’s heat transfer
by Richard Franklin, managing director of Thermal Fluid Solutions M
any companies within Europe’s process industries operate thermal fluid
systems to transfer heat around their manufacturing plants. The thermal oils that run through these systems degrade over time. This degradation takes many forms, including the formation of carbon solids due to the oxidisation of thermal oil operating at high temperatures. Carbon solids abrade components such as pumps, seals, bearings and valves, compromising their performance. They form deposits, restricting flow and reducing the heat transfer capability of the system. If left unchecked, heat transfer systems can become blocked and cease to function effectively. Historically, the only option available to
process manufacturers whose thermal fluid systems were at risk of becoming compromised by carbon solids was complete thermal oil replacement. However, this was expensive and incurred a great deal of down time, as it required the systems to be temporarily switched off. Several oil system support and
maintenance firms have made available to the process sector full flow filter mesh filtration services. These involve the filtration of fluids in live systems and so preclude the need for costly full oil replacement. However, the full flow filter mesh
filtration traditionally used throughout Europe carries the disadvantage of missing the estimated 80 per cent or so of matter which is too small to be
24 FEBRUARY 2019 | FACTORY EQUIPMENT
captured by the mesh, whilst becoming quickly blocked by larger particles, so allowing systems to remain compromised due to a build-up of deposits. We recently developed for the
European process industry a pioneering form of depositional thermal fluid filtration technology, capable of removing the elusive 80 per cent of particulate matter too small to be captured by full flow filter mesh filtration, enabling process manufacturers to effectively maintain the heat transfer property and overall efficiency of their thermal oil systems. Depositional filtration units re-route oil
from customers’ live thermal fluid systems, running it through fine filters to remove solids without incurring any down time. The depositional filtration technique
was trialed in Latvia and is already operational in Spain and Holland, where it is generating improved heat transfer efficiencies in process manufacturing sectors including petrochemical and wood panel manufacturing. In order to ensure that thermal fluid
filtration is undertaken when necessary – before carbonisation begins to compromise the efficiency of the heat transfer system – process manufacturers should undertake thermal oil testing and analysis regularly as part of their routine facilities management programmes.
Carbon solids abrade components such as pumps, seals, bearings and valves, compromising their performance
properties and so also the efficiency of the system. At operating temperatures, water vapour is formed which may lead to cavitation and ultimately results in mechanical damage to critical components such as pumps, and potentially more serious issues through fluid escapes. An increase in an oil’s acid number may
be an indication of systemic issues in a thermal fluid system which, if left unchecked, may result in a reduction in system efficiency. Heat transfer fluid degradation can also
cause a fluid’s flashpoint to decrease, as ‘lighter’ fractions with lower flashpoints than the heat transfer fluid itself are generated, reducing the flashpoint of the fluid overall, so that fluids become more flammable at the system operating temperature and so pose an increasing risk of fire and explosion, should there be a fluid release. Health and safety legislation such as
European ATEX (Atmosphère Explosible) - implemented in the UK via DSEAR (Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations) – and PUWER (Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations), requires process manufacturers to regularly test their heat transfer fluid’s flashpoint and, as appropriate, to restore it to a safe level. Traditionally, this could only be
achieved by total fluid replacement, which was expensive and incurred considerable system down time, however reconditioning services are now available, providing a quick, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable alternative to fluid replacement.
Thermal Fluid Soltions
www.thermalfluidsolutions.com T: + 44 (0) 1298 815 862
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