Tempco Blog articles

Water cooling solution for power electronics

For a manufacturer of power switch rectifiers, operating in the galvanic treatment sector, in Tempco we have developed a special cooling module using water (yes, exactly water) for power electronics components.

This is a kind of application for which we have grown a consolidated and extensive know-how, thanks to recent solutions realized for other customers in the nautical sector and the power industry.

Tempco raffreddamento ad acqua elettronica di potenza

For this important customer we have therefore engineered a compact and integrated module, aimed at being installed inside its towers, exactly as if it was a rack module. The solution is completely autonomous and complete with pumping system, thermal transfer and temperature regulation. The whole project has been realized thanks to an in depth 3D study of the internal layout and arrangement of all components, in order to reduce as much as possible the size of the system to fit it into the existing equipment of the customer.

Tempco raffreddamento ad acqua elettronica di potenza power rectifiers

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Electrical heating in mono fluid thermoregulation with interactive 3D model

The video below showcases the working circuit of the fluid in a mono fluid thermoregulation application with electrical heating in our Tempco TREG thermoregulation units. The video animation clearly shows the inlet of water to be heated and the outlet flow of heated water both from the top of the unit.

TREG HCE are skid package thermoregulating units for water, diathermic oil and other fluids heating using electrical heaters, thanks to an array of electrical heaters and/or electrical heaters heat exchangers.

The dedicated page of the Tempco website also provides users, thanks to the Sketchfab technology that allows to create 3D assets that can be configured and animated in real-time, the possibility to freely explore our thermoregulation units in a totally interactive mode, in order to better and simply understand the functioning of the units, by rotating at 360° and zooming in with a surprising level of detail on the construction of the TREGs thanks to 3D models. It’s also possible to select both the visualization of the cooling or heating cycle, based on the temperature regulation needs of the production process of the customer.

 

Centraline TREG HCE termoregolazione monofluido riscaldamento elettrico asset 3D

Centraline TREG HCE termoregolazione monofluido riscaldamento elettrico asset 3D interattivo

Centraline TREG HCE termoregolazione monofluido riscaldamento elettrico asset 3D zoom

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FULL INOX brazed plate exchangers in pharma applications

We’re finally glad to announce that Tempco has widened its heat exchangers range with the introduction of new FULL INOX brazed plate exchangers, therefore with a full stainless steel construction with no filler material.

These special brazed plate exchangers are obtained using a particular welding technology called Diffusion bonding or diffusion welding, which is a solid-state welding technique used in metalworking capable of joining similar and dissimilar metals, thanks to a process employing in conjunction high temperature and high pressure. It operates on the principle of solid-state diffusion, wherein the atoms of two solid, metallic surfaces intersperse themselves over time.

Despite all the sizes are not yet available, however we’re able to produce with this technology exchangers with connections from 1/2” and 2”. This special technology is therefore very interesting and we’re actually providing it to supply come thermoregulating units for the pharma sector.

Tempco saldobrasati per full inox

In particular, an important and renowned customer that manufacturers reactors and filtration systems has decided to rely on Tempco for the realization of TCUs (thermal control units), which are our TREG units, thanks to the expertise that we have in this kind of applications that we can offer.

These thermoregulating units will be equipped with FULL INOX brazed plate exchangers, and of course with an continuous support in terms of maximum standardization.

Special components for CO2 bringing sustainability in refrigeration

Carbon dioxide and CO2 are very often the focus of discussions about the hole in the ozone layer as well as for other reasons. But maybe not everyone knows that CO2 is also an excellent gas that can substitute traditional gases employed as refrigerants, such as the classic freon which is correctly considered as a cause of the hole in the ozone layer.

Recently, the sector of refrigeration has been intensely involved in the research of alternative gases in order to limit the greenhouse effect. An example is ammonia, that however has important negative side effects in terms of toxicity and flammability. The most recent born is then the CO2.

There are in fact more and more cooling, refrigeration and conditioning plants on the market that are using CO2 in their thermal cycle, carbon dioxide. CO2 is a natural gas, with therefore a huge green aspect. But there are clearly also some complexities and implications, related to the fact that CO2 has state transitions are very high pressure levels, meaning 100, 120, 130 and up to 140 bars. And traditionally conceived refrigeration plants using freon work in the condensation phase at maximum pressure levels of 40-45 bars.

It means that the overall components and equipments usually employed in refrigeration plants must undergo an important technological upgrade in order to cope with CO2 working conditions applications. There are in fact already functioning plants using CO2 on the market, and therefore the suitable equipments already exist too, although maybe not covering the full range of power capacities. There is for example a quite wide range of compressors available for CO2 applications, even if not in all the sizes and power capacities.

Difficulties are instead related to connections, fittings and pipings, that must be able to cope with these high pressure working levels. But as well, working with high pressure levels also involves having high specific volumes, allowing for a reduction of the diameters of pipings.

Finally, another main aspect is related to thermal transfer, that requires to study special heat exchangers, in function of condensers and evaporators, able to work with the high pressure levels involved in CO2 applications. These exchangers can be brazed plate exchangers, employed as evaporators or condensers, or a thermal transfer array when using air heat exchangers. Anyway, these are ad hoc engineered equipments in order to work with CO2 at high pressure. A full range of CO2 heat exchangers is already available on the market, offering quite interesting power capacities, but clearly actually we’re still in a strong phase of study and engineering development.

 

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E-fuels, sustainable alternative for endothermic engines in automotive

Regulations and policy makers are concentrating the development of the automotive of the future towards electric motors and electrification, but there is another viable alternative solution that would allow to maintain endothermic engines in traditional vehicles: these are the e-fuels, a class of alternative synthetic fuels ensuring carbon neutrality. First of all, e-fuels, also known as electrofuels, are not biofuels, which are obtained from used oils, wastes and biomasses.

The synthetic fuels, or e-fuels, are obtained by extracting hydrogen using electrolysis leveraging renewable energy, therefore through a completely sustainable production process. Hydrogen is then combined with CO2 creating a liquid energy vector. E-fuels are said to be decarbonized because during combustion they produce an amount of CO2 that equals the same amount that gets absorbed while producing them, achieving a circular process at zero impact on the environment, and in fact more sustainable than the production of batteries for electric vehicles.

The most common one is the synthetic fuel, or also synfuel, a mixture of hydrogen and CO2 which is also the basic component of many types of e-fuels. It can power traditional endothermic engines with no emission of sulphur dioxide nor other harmful substances.

Tempco e-fuels alternativa carburanti sostenibili motore endotermico automotive

Power to liquids technology is also employed to produce synthetic diesel fuel, or e-diesel, created from carbon dioxide, water and electricity coming from renewable sources, obtaining a liquid energy carrier called blue crude, which is then refined to generate e-diesel. There are also synthetic kerosene, which is already employed in the aviation sector, and synthetic methane, the most simple of all the e-fuels due to the fact that this is not oil-based, its production could be more easier and cheap not requiring refining.

Eventually let’s not forget hydrogen, green hydrogen obtained through electrolysis of water, and blue hydrogen, obtained by splitting natural gas into hydrogen and CO2, in fact using a reverse production process compared to e-fuels production.

It’s then very important to underline once again that e-fuels are compatible with traditional endothermic engines, thus not requiring the shift to electric powertrain. More over, e-fuels are also compatible with existing distribution plants and fuel stations already employed for traditional vehicles. Unfortunately, at the moment the production of these alternative sustainable fuels is still very expensive, but in the next years, with a larger adoption, the prices could lower reaching the same cost of actual traditional fuels.

The eFuel Alliance says that industrial-scale e-fuels production should start in 2025, with a cost that could approximately be about 1.60 euro/l or slightly more. Looking forward, by 2050 the cost could be in the range between 0.70 euro/l and 1.33 euro/l.

 

 

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Construction details of special brazed plate exchangers for CO2 refrigeration

What makes brazed plate heat exchangers for CO2 refrigeration applications that special? At first glance, looking at them they really seem similar to traditional brazed plate exchangers.

Differences start getting clear while handling them, and these are due to special construction processes. In fact, the weight is different, because of the special brazing processes employed that allow these exchangers to stand working conditions with high pressure levels up to 140 bar, which are involved in refrigeration applications using CO2 as a refrigerant. Therefore, really quite remarkable pressure levels.

Another difference is related to the connections, that from the outside are looking very much alike traditional outer threaded connections. But watching more closely, we can see there is also an inner part, which is a threaded solder connection. These are combi type connections, meaning they offer a combination of connections with the outer threading that can be employed for water or non freezing solutions, while the inner part is a threaded solder connection with standard diameters usually employed in refrigeration related applications.

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Carbon fiber and temperature control in Dallara supercars

If you are a passionate of racing and supercars, in Varano de’ Melegari, a small Italian town in the province of Parma, at the Dallara Academy you can visit the exposition of many of supercar models created and produced by the historical Italian automotive manufacturer along the years.

If you are lucky enough to have a guided tour of the manufacturing site, you will also be allowed to visit the area dedicated to the modeling of prototypes, the wind tunnel and the section where components and parts are produced using additive manufacturing with stereolithography 3D printing technology. Very interesting, due to the delicate controlled temperature processes involved, is then the section dedicated to the production of carbon fiber components, automotive parts and car bodies.

Carbon fiber is a ultra light and highly resistant material, and Dallara realized its first carbon fiber monocoque in 1985. Today, the components are created using carbon fiber sheets pre-impregnated with a special resin that polymerizes at ambient temperature, and therefore stored at low and controlled temperatures between -18 and -20° C.

Multiple carbon fiber sheets are layered in a mould, depending on the thickness required of the component, and moulds are then closed and pressed in vacuum, in order to eliminare any possible air bubble. The carbon fiber is then heated in furnaces at temperatures between 100° and 150° C, under pressure. The temperature levels involved in the heating process of carbon fiber components are not really high, because as said above the material already starts its polymerization phase at ambient temperature.

Dallara supercar fibra di carbonio

Carbon fiber parts and components are then cooled at accurately controlled temperatures and times. Finally, the components are finished and quality checked, essential steps because once the carbon fiber is processed, it’s not possible to reuse it nor invert the process. In addition, the overall production is made manually, leading to the high costs of carbon fiber components.

Dallara also employs carbon fiber in form of carbon sandwiches, that provide a resistance to deformation under forces of 175 kg, and also special carbon sandwich honeycomb structures with aluminium, that increase deformation resistance up to forces of 500 kg.

Dallara supercar fibra di carbonio controllo temperatura

Dallara supercar esposizione Varano

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Present and future of thermal energy in the second e-book Tempco

The future of thermal energy is the subject of the second e-book we have realized in Tempco (the first one, dedicated to Thermal energy and industrial processes, is available in the Resources section on our Tempco website), called Present and future of Thermal Energy.

Future developments of thermal energy management solutions that are already impacting the present, in fact, aimed at introducing and boosting energy efficiency, sustainability and renewables in industrial applications. Also leveraging the opportunities offered by the digitalization of production processes related to the second level energy and of Industry 4.0.

This small e-book is indeed focused on the most recent and innovative technologies that are spreading within several industrial applications, speaking about heat exchangers and special plate heat exchangers for high temperatures and high pressures, employed for CO2 refrigeration in the HVAC sector. But also focusing on hydrogen applications in fuel cell technologies, heat pumps using geothermal energy and immersion TCOIL exchangers and, finally, the liquid cooling in Data Centers.

 

 

And so, thanks for any commitment in being sustainable, and Enjoy the reading!

https://www.tempco.it/download/e-book/e-book_Tempco_2022.pdf

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Thermoregulation and energy saving in vulcanization of latex

A new interesting application in Tempco for latex vulcanization plants, employed for the production of pillows and mattresses, for which we have supplied a small thermoregulation unit of ours.

These plants have usually a steam vulcanization section, inside a dedicated chamber, that however entails a significant loss of both energy and steam.

Aiming at increasing the efficiency of the vulcanization process, we have therefore developed a direct heating and thermoregulating system of the mould using pressurized water, also allowing a more effective and accurate control of the temperature and a more efficient use of the energy. The process requires in particular to heat the mould (weight of 1.000 kg in aluminium) and its content (35 kg of rubber and 25 kg of water) using pressurized water from a temperature of 50° C up to 100° C, in a cycle time of 30 minutes.

In this particular installation, heating is achieved using a steam heat exchanger, but it can be also obtained using electrical heating.

Tempco centralina termoregolazione stampo vulcanizzazione lattice

The project has been developed by Giovanni Caschetto, an engineer with a strong know-how and expertise in the field of latex products (mattresses and pillows), developed first in Italy and then in China. Overall, the system allows an energy saving of 50% in the production of the heat required by the vulcanization process. Thus this is a kind of solution that allows also small enterprises to implement an internally owned production line, with limited investments both in terms of installation and energy consumption.

Tempco centralina termoregolazione riscaldamento stampo vulcanizzazione lattice

Tempco centralina termoregolazione vulcanizzazione lattice

Tempco centralina termoregolazione impianto vulcanizzazione lattice

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TCOIL plate heat exchangers in renewables applications

New video on our Tempco Youtube account, showing one of our TCOIL plate heat exchangers. These are in fact the kind of plate heat exchangers for immersion applications, or also for installation as an external jacket on tanks or vessels, or to any kind of equipment that requires thermoregulation.

These heat exchangers are made of two metal sheets welded by spot welding (from which also comes the name Dimple jacket exchangers), and inflated using controlled pressure in order to create an internal chamber for the passage of the fluid that has to be cooled of heated, therefore absorbing of dissipating energy.

The TCOIL exchangers are the solution we use in all of the energy recovery applications, immersed in a tank or basin to absorb or dissipate thermal energy. We spoke recently about geothermal energy: in fact, these are the exchangers we employ for tank immersion, or also in natural basins such as lakes or even for direct immersion in sea water, as heat exchangers directly immersed in a cooler or warmer fluid.

In fact, the TCOIL exchanger shown on the video is an electropolished one, a kind of finishing treatment very much employed in the pharma sector, as well as in the chemical industry and wherever an extremely polished surface is needed in order to reduce the adhesion of scaling or, in the case of immersion in sea water, of biological organisms such as algae or mussels.

 

 

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