Tempco Blog articles

Antifreeze and incoming winter

Cold season is coming. So be aware of freezing temperatures of antifreeze solutions in you thermoregulating and cooling plants, heat exchangers, free coolers for endothermic engines and overall in machines employing hydraulic circuits.

Ice coats leaking pipes (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

Ice coats leaking pipes (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)

To avoid expensive and unwanted bursting and damages, here’s a useful technical table from the Resources section in Tempco site with freezing temperatures of some of the most employed antifreeze solutions.

Tempco freezing temperatures

http://www.tempco.it/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Temperature-di-congelamento_freezpoints.pdf

Technical datasheets in thermal machines engineering

Engineering a thermal machine, heat exchangers, thermoregulating units, evaporative towers, pumping systems, pipings and so on, requires the evaluation of many factors, from chemical compatibility among constructing materials to the components sizing, depending on the characteristics of fluids involved, working fluids and raw materials employed in the production process both in contact with the equipments.

Our Tempco site offers in the Resources section a wide selection of technical datasheets and tables for download, a useful engineering help of an industrial thermal machine.

Let’s start with the Chemical compatibility of some metallic and plastic materials, used in components such as pump heads, plates, valves, piping and sealings.

Tempco Chemical compatibility

http://www.tempco.it/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Chemical_compatibility.pdf

The list offers initial informations based on manufacturer’s data combined with Tempco’s experience, being aware that chemical resistance of any material depends by several factors, specific in every single industrial application, to be then carefully evaluated in every single case.

In addition, there are also a couple of tables on Chemical and corrosion resistance of Copper and Stainless Steel AISI 316 to water in a variety of chemical factors.

Tempco copper AISI 316

http://www.tempco.it/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/aisi316.pdf

Tempco copper AISI 316 corrosion

http://www.tempco.it/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/CBE_corrosion_resistance.pdf

Cooling tower, water parameters

A Cooling tower, while operating, involves a percentage of water evaporation. That’s also the reason why this kind of machine is also called evaporative cooler.

An evaporative cooler takes advantage by the cooling power of water loosing heat during phase transition from liquid to steam. Water to be cooled falls down through the body of the cooling tower coming in contact with the ambient air circulating from bottom to the top. Being air at a lower temperature than water, and dry with a low humidity level, evaporation happens, cooling water by stealing heat to achieve the physical process.

As evaporation concerns only the water, the consequence is an increase in the concentration of minerals, salts and carbonates in circulation.

The allowed level of concentration is 3, it means three times the initial concentration of a given component.

Exceeding this level, the deposition of suspended solids and salts can damage the components of the cooling tower, in particular inside the fill pack, crucial to achieve the thermal exchange.

The result will be:

  • decrease in the cooling capacity of the tower
  • weight increasing of the thermal exchange fill packs (which will clog increasingly and exponentially)

To avoid these implications there are two solutions:

  1. periodic replacement of the water recirculation system (not sustainable, out of control and imprecise method)
  2. water softening with addition of chemical treatment to the water

Taking care of the condition of the cooling water ensures a long and reliable function of the cooling tower.

Below is a table of typical values ​​of the cooling water. Upon successful completion of the various individual parameters it is suggested to install an air conditioning system and water treatment.

WATER PARAMETERS

WATER TREATMENT COOLING TOWER

Plate heat exchangers from 1/2″ to 20″ nozzles

Sometimes I think it is useful to remember that the options to use plate heat exchangers are too great and allow the use in many different applications …

Tempco T PLATE P plate heat exchangers are complete of a support frame in painted carbon steel or stainless steel (for food and diary or pharma applications) and a plate pack with clip gaskets. There are different thermal lenghts, pressing depth and chevron angle.

Standard plates materials
AISI 304, AISI 316, TITANIO, TITANIO/PALLADIO, 254SMO, HASTELLOY C276, INCONEL, MONEL

Standard gasketed material

  • NITRIL
  • NITRIL PEROXIDE
  • EPDM
  • EPDM PEROXIDE
  • FPM
  • PTFE

Gaskets type
LOCK SYSTEM GLUELESS (clip)

STANDARD PLATES RANGE
Connections from DN25 up to DN500 Standard connections:

threaded external or internal UNI and/or BSP, flanged UNI, ANSI, SAE TRICLAMP, for food and diary or pharmaceutical applications

Pressure range from PN6 up to PN25, full vacuum.
Temperature range from -50°C up to +200°C.

FRAMES
Painted carbon steel
Epoxy painting system for marine or aggressive environment
Acid proof painting
Teflon based painting
Special paniting system per food anvironment
Stainless steel multipass for diary applications
Pasteurizer multisection frames
Twin unit

BOLTS
Galvanized carbon steel
Stainless steel sor food and diary executions

SPECIAL EXECUTIONS
Electropolished plates for pharmaceutical applications

Double wall execution, for safe application on pharme, food and diary processes. DW application is  a must where the 2 fluids can’t mixed themselves.

TPLATE P1

Heat recovery from steam

In turbine power generation unit, big shell and tube heat exchangers are installed to condensate and cool down the steam. Due to design conditions, this kind of heat exchangers is a must…but…

You can achieve interesting energy recovery, on low temperature steam with plate heat exchangers.

The new improved DN300 and DN500 plates give us the chance to install some big units to get this results:

  • DN300 plate type TCP9A – 15MW
  • DN500 plate type TCPZZ – 25MW

Both installed to produce hot water for heat district units, from low pressure steam (4 barg).

Customer installed 2 big plate heat exchanger for 150% total capacity, in this way they can get 75% of power also in case of unscheduled maintenance.

steam condenser phe

Vent condenser

Chemical reactor vent condenser are usually made with shell and tube heat exchangers.

In Tempco from many years we suggest a better solution with plate heat exchangers.

There are mainly 2 solutions:

We employ welded or brazed ones, because these applications needs perfect sealing to pressure and to full vacuum conditions.

The brazed ones are usually full inox esecution and semi-welded have PTFE gasket. both solutions are suitable with corrosion proof requested from chemical fluid.

Vent condenser plate heat exchanger semiwelded

Rubber and thermoregulation

After summer holidays, we come back and start-up two new interesting thermoregulating plant, both installed on rubber production machinery.

The two units replace old steam heating plant and both are designed to work witj diathermic oil at 265°C max.

 

Customer needs to regulate the temperature of different worktops with different set-point, due to changing rubber mix from floor to floor.

treg termoregulating unit for diathermic oil

After a careful check of different solutions, we opted for a “smart” solution, which provides a single heating unit, with the possibility to modulate the power, with a series of devices for adjusting the temperature of the different plates of the press.

The result is extremely functional and efficient, put the customer in a position to start the budget to convert suits presses of establishment of this new system of thermoregulation.

DSCF1257

Summer vacation with …tempco…

… first of all, a heartfelt thanks to all those who follow us, hoping to have given their interesting ideas and information.

After a really intense period, I wish you all to have the TIME to devote to what most excites us, relaxes us and fun.

We find ourselves here in a few weeks ready for a new year of challenges interesting and engaging, with an eye to our passions.

iStock_000006456107_XXXLarge

Worry?…better prepare

Summer is coming, hot is arrived!

A lot of our customers are prepared:

  • They have replaced the filling of the evaporation towers
  • They installed systems adiabatic retro-fit on the dry cooler
  • They have made maintenance to the plate heat exchangers

Their production now go at the best.

Who did not do it now cares, what can you do?

Contact our service, which is prepared on time, we have in stock ready to stock, spare parts, seals, packs filling, ready to be delivered and installed and to be prepared and not worried.

Tempco service heat exchanger cooling tower filling pack

TCOIL unconventional thermal energy

TCOIL immersion heat exchangers are very flexible and suitable for a wide range of thermal energy management applications.

Heat pump linked to low thermal energy source is one of the interesting application of TCOIL.

The extreme tailor-made feature of TCOIL dimple jacket heat exchangers, make them easy to use on textile, steel mill, paper mill, chemical  and other low temperature energy recovery applications.

Maintenance operation are very easy and cost saving. It is possible to supply TCOIL electro-polished, to avoid scaling and achieve an extra easy cleaning.

TCOIL immerged dimple jacket heat exchangers