High temperature plants need to be run safely and be efficient. A heat transfer fluid (HTF), either synthetic or mineral-based, is used in manufacturing and production plants for prolonged periods. Over time they thermally degrade to produce light and heavy-chain hydrocarbons. With effective management and monitoring, these can be removed to sustain the long-term health of the fluid and the plant.
The cleanliness of an HTF is essential to the long-term operation and safety of a manufacturing facility (e.g., processing of food, chemical manufacture and energy production).
As a HTF degrades it produces long (“heavy-ends”) and short-chain (“light-ends”) hydrocarbons, which alter the safety and efficiency of the plant. For instance, a HTF will thermally crack and flash point temperatures will steadily drop. This indicates that a HTF system is not venting properly and fuel-like decomposition by-products start to accumulate in the HTF system and increases the flammability of the HTF. These must be managed to ensure the safety of the system.
Read the rest of this article from our sister publication Plant Services.
