In a previous post, we explored the challenges and solutions regarding temperature control in ATEX environments, focusing on the design of safe and efficient thermoregulation units. As previously mentioned, one of the most effective strategies for optimizing temperature control in these applications is to separate the control panel from the hazardous area by installing it in a safe zone. This configuration offers numerous advantages in terms of safety, reliability, and operational management.

Dual-configuration approach: ATEX TCU + Remote control
To ensure optimal temperature control in explosive hazard zones, temperature control units (TCUs) are frequently designed as two separate units:

• The TCU itself, installed within the ATEX area
• A remote control panel, positioned in a safe zone

This solution eliminates the need for complex electronic devices within the ATEX area, thereby reducing the risk of failure and simplifying maintenance.

The dual-configuration solution therefore comprises several key components:

1. Temperature Control Unit (TCU) in the ATEX zone
   The unit installed in the ATEX zone houses all components involved in the temperature control process, designed with appropriate protection measures:
   • Heat exchangers and thermal circuits constructed using materials and configurations compliant with ATEX standards.
   • Explosion-proof electric heating elements.
   • Intrinsically safe certified temperature sensors (PT100, thermocouples).
   • Actuators and valves with Ex d or Ex i protection for thermal flow control.
   • Special shielded and insulated wiring to prevent overheating and leakage.
2. Control panel in the safe zone
   The heart of the temperature control system is located in a non-hazardous area, allowing for the implementation of advanced electronics without ATEX constraints:• Industrial PLC for temperature management featuring advanced PID control.
   • Touchscreen HMI for monitoring and manually adjusting TCU parameters.
   • Data logging and reporting capabilities for thermal performance analysis.
   • Remote management via connection to SCADA or cloud systems.

Image showing a temperature control unit (TCU); for ATEX zone installations, a dual configuration with a separate control panel in a safe zone allows for the use of advanced electronics to ensure maximum efficiency and reliability.

L'articolo ATEX zone TCU temperature control units, maximum efficiency with control panel in safe area proviene da Tempco Blog.

Brazed plate heat exchangers consist of stainless steel plates joined via copper or nickel brazing. They offer maximum heat transfer efficiency within a compact footprint, making them ideal for heat transfer where space is limited. Furthermore, the brazing process creates a plate pack with superior mechanical strength, enabling operation at higher pressures and across wider temperature ranges.

Immediate availability applies to models with standard connections and ports up to 2″. By focusing on the most common sizes and configurations, Tempco can respond promptly to urgent needs, replacement requests, and equipment downtime. In such situations, the quick delivery of a heat exchanger makes the difference between getting a system back up and running immediately vs suffering costly shutdowns.

Let’s discuss your needs
If you have a system to complete, a machine that is down, or wish to get ahead of market price increases, please contact us with the required size and connection specifications; we will check immediate availability and shipping times together.

L'articolo Brazed plate heat exchangers: when immediate availability makes the difference proviene da Tempco Blog.

A preventive check before summer is therefore essential to ensure production continuity, consistent performance, and controlled energy consumption.

A system that is not properly checked can encounter a series of interconnected problems during the summer months:

• Reduced cooling capacity, making it impossible to maintain the required process conditions
• Increased energy consumption, as the system operates unpredictably to compensate for inefficiencies
• Alarms and sudden shutdowns, often during peak production periods
• Loss of downstream process efficiency, with consequences for quality and productivity

To safely handle summer loads, a suitable best practice is to plan a systematic system check in advance. The main points to check are the followings:

Cleanliness and condition of heat exchangers. Heat transfer surfaces must be clean and free of deposits or fouling. Even a thin layer of fouling can significantly reduce the overall heat transfer coefficient (U), degrading the unit’s rated performance. The check must include both the process and service sides.

Water circuit and water quality. Pipe scaling, localized corrosion, and deterioration of cooling water quality are among the most common causes of problems during the summer season. It’s important to check the pH, hardness, and concentration of any inhibitors, as well as verify proper circulation within the circuits.

Ventilation and condensation components. In dry coolers and evaporative cooling towers, the condensation section is the first to be affected by high external temperatures. Checking that the fans are working properly, that the fins are clean, and that there are no obstructions to the airflow is essential to avoid compromising the unit’s capacity.

General functional check. The inspection must be completed with a comprehensive functional check: calibration of temperature and pressure controls, condition of control components, alarm management, and verification of the correct operating sequence under peak conditions.

Preventive maintenance conducted before summer allows for the identification and resolution of critical issues while there is still time to do so, avoiding emergency interventions during peak production periods.

L'articolo Cooling systems: what to check before summer to avoid machines downtime proviene da Tempco Blog.

The Tempco Service team provides technical support for component identification, compatibility verification, and the supply of appropriate spare parts. First, it is necessary to identify the exchanger model, which is the basis for any spare parts request.

The exchanger model can be found from:

• Identification plate attached to the exchanger
• Technical drawings or thermal calculation sheets
• Tempco supply documents

It is also helpful to provide:

• Number of plates installed
• Gasket type
• Year of supply or serial number

The two tables below therefore offer valuable support when requesting spare parts for heat transfer plates and gaskets.

Finally, some helpful further tips:

• Send clear photos of the plates and gaskets for quick identification.
• Indicate the process fluid and operating conditions.
• Tempco can provide plate reconditioning and regeneration with leak testing.
• Keeping a spare set of gaskets reduces system downtime.
• Observe recommended tightening torque values when reassembling.

L'articolo Tempco’s spare parts ordering guide for plate heat exchangers proviene da Tempco Blog.

The Italian regulatory landscape on this topic has undergone a significant transformation in 2025: Legislative Decree 102/2025, which came into force on July 19, 2025, made mandatory certain Guidelines drawn up by the Ministry of Health in May 2015. The new obligations for prevention and control established in the Legionella Decree 2025 include:

• Mandatory monitoring activities. Activities are now classified according to a Priority code. Water monitoring is now mandatory in facilities beyond the previous regulations, such as hotels, sports centers, and restaurants.
• Preparation of the Water Safety Plan (PSA). The Water Safety Plan (PSA) is a mandatory risk assessment and management model for managers of internal building water systems.
• Appointment of the Internal Water Distribution Manager (GIDI). For Priority facilities, the role of the Internal Water Distribution Manager (GIDI) has been introduced. The GIDI is responsible for the building’s internal drinking water system and must be appointed. He or she is responsible for verifying that analyses and the PSA are performed.

Finally, penalties have also been increased, with fines of up to 30.000 euro for failure in compliance with monitoring parameters.

L'articolo New monitoring requirements for Legionella prevention proviene da Tempco Blog.

The installed TREG manages a temperature range from –5° C to +90° C, using glycol water as monofluid heat transfer. The unit delivers 24 kW of power in both the heating and cooling phases, allowing for extremely precise modulation of the operating conditions of the reactor’s double shell, depending on the different phases of the drug production process.

The full stainless steel construction and compact design facilitate cleaning and maintenance, ensuring full compliance with the sterile environment requirements of the pharmaceutical industry. Every detail, from components to electronics, is designed to offer reliability, repeatability, and safety in laboratory processes and small production batches for research activities of new active ingredients.

L'articolo Precise thermal control in pharmaceutical research proviene da Tempco Blog.

For this reason, we have been promoting the Tempco Service for years, a periodic maintenance program tailored specifically for our TREG thermoregulation units, cooling systems, thermoregulation skids, and custom control units.

The Tempco service specifically includes:

• complete check of operating parameters;
•  exchanger performance verification;
• pump, valve, seal, and sensor inspection;
• heat transfer fluid analysis and recommendation for replacement;
• software updates and regulator calibration;
• advance notification of components requiring replacement.

The customer benefit is therefore very simple: zero surprises and maximum operations continuity. Scheduled maintenance allows also to:

• avoid unexpected downtime;
• keep energy consumption under control;
• extend the life of your machines;
• plan budgets and production downtime;
• have priority access to our technical support.

Service also provides an opportunity to propose upgrades or new energy efficiency solutions, such as optimizing thermal cycles or introducing more efficient heat recovery systems.

At Tempco, we therefore don’t see maintenance as a ‘cost’, but rather as an investment to ensure that thermal machines perform exactly as they did on day one, along with the opportunity to continuously improve and optimize the operational efficiency of your thermal management and temperature control systems.

L'articolo Scheduled service, a smart choice for the lifecycle of Tempco thermal machines proviene da Tempco Blog.

With original Tempco spare parts, however, the customer knows exactly what they’re installing, with the peace of mind of ensuring:

• materials compatible with the process fluid;
• guaranteed performance tested on our systems;
• compliance with pressure and temperature specifications;
• long-term reliability thanks to the selection of suppliers we’ve worked with for years.

The difference, therefore, lies not only in the quality of the components themselves, but also directly impacts operational continuity: a correct gasket maintains the efficiency of the exchanger; a certified pump guarantees effective flow; consistent resistance prevents overheating or excessively frequent start-up cycles.

Furthermore, in a heating system, every deviation generates inefficiencies and hidden costs: higher energy consumption, longer rise/fall times in temperature, and micro-stoppages in production.

For all these reasons, at Tempco we always remind our customers that an original spare part costs less than a system downtime.

Tempco offers a dedicated service for the rapid supply of spare parts, even for older or custom-built machines. Keeping your systems in ideal condition thus means preserving their useful life, ensuring consistent performance.

L'articolo Efficiency and operational continuity: original spare parts make the difference proviene da Tempco Blog.

These compact units are designed with custom dimensions for integration into the customer’s machine structure. Each version is configured based on application specifications: electric heating with resistances from 3 to 24 kW, forced circulation via a submersible foot pump, and cooling via a submersible coil connected to an industrial water circuit or external chiller.

The circuit is atmospheric, with a stainless steel tank, designed to ensure maximum hygiene and ease of maintenance. The recommended operating temperature range is 0/75°C, ideal for washing, mixing, or thermal conditioning of process fluids.

Versions for both the pharmaceutical and food & beverage sectors feature materials and components compatible with wash-down environments and, upon request, sanitary clamp or DIN connections. Versions with remote control options via PLC, analogic signals, or fieldbus (Modbus, Profinet, EtherNet/IP) are also available.

These solutions offer OEMs the ability to easily integrate a complete, compact, and reliable thermoregulation system, reducing development times and ensuring an efficient thermal management of the production process. As always, each project begins with a technical consultation with the customer, to tailor dimensions, materials, power, and control logic to the specific needs of the system.

L'articolo Custom thermoregulation units for OEMs in the food & pharma sectors proviene da Tempco Blog.

Thanks to a team of professionals with extensive experience in temperature control and thermoregulation applications in the process industry, the company also provides highly qualified technical support services, consulting on the best temperature control solutions for individual needs, spare parts sales, repairs, customization, and retrofitting of systems and machinery.

The strong synergy built and developed over many years of close collaboration has led to acquisition of IPE by Tempco, in order to ensure an even more efficient service and increasingly timely and personalized consulting for companies with their temperature control applications, pursuing maximum energy and process efficiency in every industrial sector.

We invite you to discover all of IPE’s services and offerings on the company’s revamped website, at https://ipe.tempco.it/.

L'articolo IPE, new website for thermoregulation services and technologies specialist proviene da Tempco Blog.